Hungarian journalists and fans claim that Liverpool’s £40 million signing delivered the poorest performance on the field.

Liverpool fans may have noticed a surprising turn of events during Hungary’s recent World Cup qualifier, as one of the club’s new summer signings came under fire in his home country.

Milos Kerkez receives harsh reviews from Hungarian fans
In Hungary’s 3-2 loss to Portugal in Budapest, left-back Milos Kerkez – recently signed by Liverpool for £40 million – was rated as the team’s poorest performer, according to Nemzeti Sport.

The 21-year-old received the lowest average score among the Hungarian squad, managing just 4.51 out of 10 from 7,830 fan votes. The publication noted Kerkez was “annoyingly easy to tackle,” citing an incident where Joao Cancelo dispossessed him in the build-up to Portugal’s third goal.

However, team captain Dominik Szoboszlai appeared visibly upset after that moment, reportedly shedding tears, possibly due to the fact that Kerkez lost the ball right after receiving his pass. Despite the criticism, the report acknowledged that Kerkez won several duels and insisted that “he is capable of much more.”

In contrast, forward Barnabas Varga was the fans’ top performer with a score of 8.45, followed by goalkeeper Balazs Toth at 7.54, and defender Willi Orban with 6.54. Szoboszlai himself received a rating of 5.43, placing him eighth overall. While praised for his energy and composure, his pass leading to the third goal was labelled “a huge mistake.”

Hungarian media also question Kerkez’s performance
Nemzeti Sport journalists also gave Kerkez a modest score of 5, highlighting his failure to track Bernardo Silva for Portugal’s opening goal and pointing out poor decision-making in dangerous areas.

Though still in the early days of his Liverpool career, Kerkez has already faced scrutiny for his defensive displays in red. The Hungarian press did recognize his strong performance in duels and expressed confidence in his ability to rebound from this setback.

Kerkez, signed from Bournemouth, is expected to bring energy and balance on the left side of the pitch. But with the Premier League season in full swing, Andy Robertson will be eager to reclaim his starting position. As Nemzeti Sport summed it up: Hungary’s No.3 “is capable of much more” – and now it’s up to him to prove it, both for club and country.