One of the steadiest fixtures during Liverpool's nearly decade long run of success under Jurgen Klopp, and nowt Arne Slot, has been the play of Scotland Captain, Andy Robertson at left-back.
His seemingly endless energy and passion every single time on the pitch quickly made him a fan favorite. However, he matched great skill with this desire.
He has been right there with Trent Alexander-Arnold in the battle of most assists from a Premier League defender. There was never a lot of investment done into his understudy because he was a rock and was always available.
As we all know in sports though, father time is undefeated. The 2024/25 season has been one of the rockiest for Robbo since he ascended to the left-back throne.
He has Kostas Tsimikas breathing down his neck for playing time, and now, if reports are true, his long-term successor could soon be arriving at Anfield.
A budding star for Bournemouth
Milos Kerkez, 21, is reportedly in favor of making the move to Liverpool over other options such as Manchester United and Manchester City.
A rumored fee around £50 million has been bandied about as the number that would bring the Cherries to the table to discuss a deal. Perhaps this is where Richard Hughes can flex some of his old connections at the club he was the Sporting Director of for years.
As for the player, he wouldn't arrive until the summer but he could already slide into the side right now.
Kerkez is a forward thinking fullback, (sound familiar?), that has the freedom with Bournemouth to really run at defenses and use his sweet left foot to but pressure on defenders.
Kerkez completes 2.64 progressive carries per 90 minutes as well as nearly 4 progressive passes per 90. Those are numbers that would make him an ideal fit in the Arne Slot system.
A perfect Robbo heir apparent
As I've mentioned, one of Robertson's defining characteristics is his willingness to run up and down incessantly until the job is done.
Kerkez is the exact similar type of player and he would only benefit from learning from the Scot and playing alongside someone like Virgil van Dijk.
Like a Conor Bradley, he takes a tenacious approach to his tackles. He leaves no doubt when he commits and the opposition will know when they've been challenged by Kerkez.
Having such good skills on the ball at this early stage should give him confidence he could fit in at Anfield while his defensive traits continue to grow.
He is a strong plug-and-play option for a higher pressing team that trusts the defenders to put themselves in the right spots. Having also played what will be two full Premier League seasons by the time the summer window opens, he also might not have the same adjustment period other targets may need.
Still so young, his game already has a comfortably high floor to it, but the ceiling is still yet unknown.
Getting him to a developer of talent like Slot, surrounded by the world class talent around him, and we could very well see him running up and down the left-wing for a decade of his own.
Robbo isn't done just yet, but if Liverpool can sign Milos Kerkez to groom after him, they might not have to worry about left-back again for another decade.