What Kerkez’s Early Comeback Really Tells Us About Iraola
Pre-season returns rarely tell you much. Everyone smiles for the cameras, says the right things about missing the badge, and normal service resumes a few weeks later. Milos Kerkez’s first words back at the AXA Training Centre this week landed differently though, and that is worth paying attention to as Andoni Iraola’s first full season in charge gets under way.
Kerkez Wasn’t Hiding Behind the Usual Lines
Kerkez did not hide behind the usual clichés. Asked about his summer, he admitted plainly that “vacation was a bit too long for me,” and went further, saying he had missed training and missed the ball within three weeks of switching off. He also spoke about spending time with family before that restlessness set in, which is a normal enough summer for any professional, but it was the speed of his impatience to get back that stood out. For a player who spent last season adapting to a new team and a new manager, that kind of restlessness this early says something encouraging about where his head is right now.
A Coach Who Already Has the Blueprint
The reunion with Iraola is the real story here, not the small talk about missing the ball. Kerkez produced arguably the best form of his career playing under Iraola at Bournemouth during the 2024/25 season, form good enough to earn recognition at PFA level. Managers who have already unlocked a player’s best version tend to know exactly which buttons to press the second time around, and that should be a significant advantage heading into this campaign. Iraola does not need to learn Kerkez from scratch, run a lengthy induction, or spend months working out his best position and role. He already has the blueprint from Bournemouth, and Kerkez already knows what is expected of him under this particular coach.
The Numbers Behind an Uneven First Season
That matters because last season was not always straightforward for the left back. There were spells when the pace and physicality of Premier League football caught him out defensively, moments that will not have gone unnoticed by his new head coach or by supporters who watched every one of them live. Numbers alone do not erase that, but they do provide useful context. Kerkez made 48 appearances across all competitions and started 34 matches in the Premier League and Champions League combined, a workload that shows Liverpool trusted him with a genuinely central role in a difficult first campaign rather than treating him as a squad option to be rotated in and out.
What Needs to Change Now
The challenge now is turning volume into consistency. Iraola’s version of Kerkez at Bournemouth was not just a willing runner, it was a full back who understood exactly when to push forward and when to hold his position, something that took time to click properly at Anfield last year. Kerkez himself pointed to the reunion as a source of confidence, saying he already feels settled seeing familiar faces and that the group is focused and working hard towards the new season ahead.
None of this guarantees anything by August. Pre-season enthusiasm is cheap, and plenty of players have talked a good game in July only to look short of it again by September. What gives this particular story some real weight is the coaching link running through it. Iraola is not walking in blind here, he is picking up a player he has already improved once before in a different shirt, and Kerkez is walking back in with a manager who has already proven, with hard evidence, that he can get the best from him.
For Liverpool supporters, the hope is straightforward enough. If the version of Kerkez that shone at Bournemouth under this same coach can turn up consistently at Anfield too, the left back spot stops being a discussion point every few weeks and becomes a settled strength for the years ahead. Words in July do not decide that on their own. The next ten months will, and Kerkez at least sounds like a player who is genuinely ready to find out.