Péter Stark has given Liverpool‘s Milos Kerkez advice on how to deal with criticism, especially from the Premier League side’s supporters in the age of social media.
The Hungary international arrived at Anfield from AFC Bournemouth in June 2025. He was the first choice for Arne Slot last season, playing 3,218 minutes in 48 matches.
In June, Liverpool parted ways with Slot and appointed Andoni Iraola as his successor. The left-back, who had previously played under the Spaniard at Bournemouth, maintained his place in the starting lineup this season.
Liverpool man must block out criticism
His last season’s displays were subjected to criticism in his own country, who labelled him a Liverpool flop.
This season, Milos Kerkez played 914 minutes in 11 matches. In his last appearance, he played 81 minutes in the 1-0 league defeat to Arsenal at Anfield.
Wednesday’s edition of Blikk says the fullback created the highest [three] scoring chances for the Merseyside club. Despite this, a section of the Liverpool fans criticised him.
The newspaper says the 22-year-old’s performances for the club have been a subject of a ‘heated debate’ online and believes that some of them were harsh.
‘Opinions are divided in England about Kerkez Milos. The left-back of the Hungarian national team of Liverpool created the most scoring chances (three) in the match against Arsenal, yet his football has sparked heated debate on social media. While the Anfield Watch fan site came to his defence, several fans criticised him harshly.’
Blikk contacted former Hungary international defender Péter Stark to get his views about the pressure being piled on Milos Kerkez by the supporters.
He said: “Anyone who plays at a lower level but has the media in their lives also has to learn to live with it. You have to be able to work on it or simply ignore it. Where Milos is playing football now, this is magnified. I wasn’t afraid for him. Kerkez is a cool guy, the Liverpool criticism only makes him stronger.”
“In a star-studded team followed by millions, people pay attention to everything. Even what sort of socks a player puts on.”
“It happens that someone is a die-hard supporter of their club, and if a player doesn’t perform as they’d imagined, they voice their displeasure in a crude manner. This is sheer rudeness, but anyone who steps onto the stage, like an actor, has to accept there will be criticism.”
Can count on Liverpool star
Milos Kerkez plays alongside his compatriot and Hungary star, Dominik Szoboszlai, at Anfield.
Péter Stark remains confident the defender doesn’t need any support and knows how to block things out.
However, he can always count on the national team captain for support if needed.
“Milos is a strong enough individual, he doesn’t need outside help to fight his own battles, but I’m sure that Dominik will help him in whatever way he can,” Stark explained.
“That’s okay: they are good friends, they play together in the national team and the club. I am convinced that Dominik would stand by him even if he were only tenth in the Liverpool hierarchy.”
“If he sees it as good, he will defend him in the media. If he considers it unnecessary to rise above the hype, he will not deal with it. But if you openly confront him with the question, there is a 1000% chance that he will stand by his friend. And Milos can be particularly inspired to have his friends and teammates by his side in such a situation.”
