Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez could face an extended spell on the sidelines after being replaced by Andy Robertson on Sunday, according to reports.
The Reds struggled to break down a stubborn Burnley defence on Sunday with Liverpool needing a penalty from Mohamed Salah to break the deadlock after Hannibal handled in the box in second-half injury time.
That 1-0 win meant Liverpool still have a perfect record this season with four wins from four in the Premier League after winning the title last season.
Andy Robertson replaced Kerkez, who has not yet starred for Liverpool this season, towards the end of the first half against Burnley after the Hungary international picked up a yellow card for a silly dive.
Slot took the left-back off as he was worried he would pick up another booking with Burnley’s best bits of play on the counter-attack and former Manchester United and Tottenham chief scout Mick Brown reckons he will struggled to get back in front of Robertson.
Football Insider claim that Kerkez could now spend an ‘extended spell’ on the sidelines and Brown said “Kerkez is going to struggle to get back into the team now.
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“The manager made that decision to take him off during the first half, and it was probably the right one because he was at risk of getting sent off.
“But if you’re putting the manager in a position where he has to make that call, he’s not going to be happy with your performance.
“Robertson would be the first-choice left-back for the majority of clubs in the Premier League, and he’ll be keen to make his mark and come back into the starting XI.
“I thought when Kerkez was going to Liverpool that he would be a top-class replacement for him.
“By no means is he a bad player, he’s obviously top quality and they rate him highly at Liverpool, but this is what you need at top clubs in the modern game.
“Players need to know that if they make a mistake or they’re not up to scratch, there’s somebody waiting in the wings to replace them, it’s a bit of healthy competition.
“So I expect Kerkez could drop out of the team with Robertson coming in, and then it will be a battle for him to earn his place back in the starting XI.”
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Football Insider add in a separate report that Federico Chiesa, who faces plenty of competition for a starting spot at Anfield, ‘could be forced out’ of Liverpool.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider: “There’s a number of clubs that will be monitoring Chiesa’s situation at Liverpool.
“Let’s see what happens to him now the Alexander Isak deal has gone through – that’s another striking option for Arne Slot.
“Will that push Chiesa even further down the pecking order? You would imagine it would do, and he’s been left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad due to the numbers, they can’t fit him in there.
“Liverpool will probably need him around January because Mo Salah will be going away to the African Cup of Nations with Egypt.
“That might open opportunities for Chiesa to get more game time, but a lot will depend on Chiesa as well.
“It’s the World Cup next summer, he might want to be playing more regularly if he is to get back into that Italy fold – it seems right now he’s quite happy with his role.”
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