Ex-Chelsea midfielder accuses Liverpool star of 'blaming' and not helping Milos Kerkez amid struggle vs Manchester United

Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has accused Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk of blaming Milos Kerkez instead of helping him get through rough start at Anfield. Kerkez, 21, joined the reigning Premier League champions from Bournemouth in a deal worth £40 million during the summer transfer window. However, the Hungary international has struggled to make the desired impact after replacing Andy Robertson as the first-choice left-back.

In the wake of criticism against Kerkez following the Reds' 2-1 defeat against Manchester United on Sunday, Burley opted against putting all the blame solely on the defender. The former Scotland international admitted that Kerkez is having a bad time, however, he feels that the young left-back's life on Merseyside is not being made easier by his captain.

Speaking on ESPN FC, Burley slammed Van Dijk for blaming instead of leading his teammate. He stated:

“It starts with leadership. Leadership is your star players and they are Mo Salah, who has not taken the bull by the horns, and Virgil van Dijk. Van Dijk at the moment is not leading but blaming. Kerkez is having a bad time, there’s no doubt about it. He’s getting swallowed up by the pressure of going in with these big players in this huge football club with these big expectations."

Burley went on to highlight how Van Dijk made an unpleasant gesture towards Kerkez towards the end of the game, when a clearance came off the left-back's face. The ex-Chelsea star is of the opinion that Kerkez could not have done anything different in that situation and reiterated his stance on how Van Dijk's actions are not helping his teammate's confidence get any better.

Burley added:

"But I don’t think it helps when your captain is looking at him every two minutes and blaming him or digging him out. Even at the end, the clearance that comes off Kerkez’s face, what is he supposed to do? He’s tucking in behind Van Dijk, who turns around and gestures to him and the crowd sees it. I just don’t think that helps the situation [that Kerkez finds himself in]."

Liverpool, who have now lost four straight games, currently trail leaders Arsenal by four points in the Premier League title race.

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Arne Slot must take blame for mistake in Liverpool team selection: Craig Burley

Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League - Source: Getty

Shortly after questioning Virgil van Dijk, Craig Burley pinned blame on Liverpool boss Arne Slot for his team selection against Manchester United. The Dutchman decided to start Alexander Isak instead of Hugo Ekitike and Burley did not hold himself back from slamming the decision.

Burley blamed Slot for denting the confidnce of the Reds' most in-form player in Ekitike by making the decision of benching him against the Red Devils.

He added:

"That’s four defeats in a row, they were playing their biggest rivals historically at home. Slot has once again favoured Alexander Isak over the most in-form player in Ekitike, who should have played against United. Isak is a great player but he’s missed a chunk of pre-season and since Ekitike has come in, he’s looked sharp. So it’s not only playing a player who is not quite ready yet in Isak, he’s denting the confidence of another player."

Burley also disagreed with Slot deciding not to include Florian Wirtz in the starting line-up, especially considering how Manchester United are weak in midfield. The former Chelsea star feels shoehorning Wirtz into the XI could have helped Liverpool expose Casemiro.

Burley concluded:

"We talked all week about Manchester United being weak in the middle of the park, and about somehow shoehorning Florian Wirtz in there to expose Casemiro and Slot chose not to. You could argue that Slot is getting it wrong with his selection in the last few games.”

Liverpool will now face Eintracht Frankfurt away from home in the Champions League before returning to Premier League action with a trip to Brentford on Saturday.