‘He just doesn’t look good enough’ – Scholes makes worrying Liverpool claim after United loss
Liverpool’s defensive frailties came under the microscope again this week, with Paul Scholes delivering a withering assessment of our back line following Sunday’s 2–1 defeat to Manchester United at Anfield.
Speaking on Stick to Football, the former England midfielder didn’t hold back when discussing our new left-back Milos Kerkez and the shape of our defence under Arne Slot.
“They need another centre-half, don’t they?” said Scholes. “I thought Konate was the best one [against United], I thought he was brilliant.
“But still, I’m thinking back-up, they need another centre-half.
“The full-backs were both struggling. When you think of Frimpong, he’s a winger really – he looked really good but he’s a wing-back, not a full-back.
“The left-back [Kerkez] looks like a kid playing against men at times, he just doesn’t look good enough at this point, does he?”
Scholes questions Liverpool’s full-backs after United defeat
The comments came after Gary Neville had already taken aim at Kerkez on The Gary Neville Podcast, accusing the Hungarian of “playing like a 10-year-old left-back” and being “all over the place.”
It’s been a tough start to life at Anfield for the 21-year-old, who joined us from Bournemouth for £40 million this summer.
Kerkez was part of an unchanged line-up against United, but struggled to contain Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo, both of whom caused repeated problems down our left.
As reported by ESPN FC though, former Chelsea man Craig Burley criticised Virgil van Dijk for “blaming” his teammate during the match rather than leading him through difficult moments – another reminder of the high-pressure environment young players face when stepping into this Liverpool team.
Calls for Liverpool to strengthen defensive depth
Scholes’ claim that we “need another centre-half” will certainly add fuel to an already bubbling conversation about depth behind Ibou Konate and the skipper.
Our head coach may well turn to Joe Gomez in the coming weeks to ease the load, but the issue of experience and leadership in defence isn’t going away.
Given that Jarell Quansah was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for £30 million, some supporters will feel those funds could have been reinvested in another senior centre-back – which was the plan before the failed move for Marc Guehi.
Liverpool strengthened heavily in attack but Scholes’ remarks now underline where improvements may still be needed if we’re to retain the Premier League title this season.
You can view Scholes’ comments (from 46:24) via The Overlap on YouTube:
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