Danny Murphy tells Liverpool to explore transfer move for £33m Man Utd target

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Balde has struggled for regular minutes at Barcelona this season (Picture: Getty) Manchester United have been credited with an interest in the Spain international (Picture: Shutterstock) Balde has made just three substitute appearances for Barca in La Liga this term and Manchester United have also been named as a potential escape route for the £33m-rated defender at the halfway point of the season. ‘I think Liverpool will be looking for a left-back but it’s hard because I don’t know Kerkez personally, I know he’s trying really hard and you can see it in his energy that he cares, and that’s a great start,’ the ex-Liverpool and England midfielder told Betarades. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. ‘He cares for the shirt and he’s working really hard to try and make it happen. ‘I think Balde could be great for Liverpool because he’s a super talent and he’s also got that experience of being at a huge football club with that expectation.

There’s lots of good players out there and Liverpool will be scouring the world.’ Murphy believes it could be time for Liverpool to look for ‘more established’ and ‘ready-made players’ after prioritising youth in recent transfer windows. ‘I think the most important thing is trying to bring somebody in who doesn’t make you guess whether he can deal with the pressure of a big club,’ he added. ‘It’s a delicate balance because Liverpool for years were very good at taking diamonds in from the rough, if you like. I think now there’s an argument to have a few more players who are maybe a bit more established.’ Kerkez has struggled to live up to expectations on Merseyside (Picture: Getty) Murphy has some sympathy for Kerkez but feels the Hungary international needs to get his head down and work on his composure if he is to make a success of his time at Liverpool. ‘He just lacks composure and quality in the final third when he gets there.

Too often his final pass or his cross isn’t good enough,’ he continued. ‘He doesn’t have the composure of an Andy Robertson, and to be fair to him, you are filling the boots of arguably one of the best left-backs Liverpool’s ever had.” Murphy sympathises with Liverpool full-back Kerkez (Picture: Ashley Western/Shutterstock) ‘I think the lack of quality at times is due to the fact he’s very fast. It’s a dilemma for Liverpool, and I think one that they’ll definitely be looking at and trying to address, because not every signing works out.’ On Kerkez, Murphy went on: ‘I was somebody who saw him that year at Bournemouth and thought he looked like a terrific young player. ‘But the one thing that people don’t understand and it’s only when you’ve been in that position you can empathise with going from playing in one environment to being in the intense, magnified world of Liverpool Football Club. ‘Every game, every minute, every mistake is analysed by the fans, by the press, by the worldwide audience, and I think that expectation, and that pressure is a bit much for him.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page.