Michael Owen has voiced significant concerns over Liverpool's full-backs, claiming that Milos Kerkes and Jeremy Frimpong are falling short of what is required.
Owen highlighted a stark contrast with the club's previous full-back pairing of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, whose performances he believes have set a high standard.
He remarked:
Full-back positions are a real issue for Liverpool, and it pains me to say that.
A few years back, they had the best full-backs in the world – Trent and Robbo. It was incredible; just look at their stats and level of play.
It was a position of strength, and now it's completely flipped and turned into a genuine problem.
Owen continued:
I like Conor Bradley, but everyone knows his injury struggles. Frimpong doesn't look much like a defender to me – he resembles more of an attacking player.
Tsimi isn't quite good enough to start every week, and Kerkes has struggled to adapt since his move.
He looks nervous and lost in a red shirt. It seems like it’s too big a task for him. I think both full-back positions are problematic.
Kerkes joined Liverpool from Bournemouth for £40 million in the summer of 2025, yet Owen feels the Hungarian defender has yet to fully acclimatise to the demands of the Merseyside club.
On a positive note, Iraola is impressed with Ronald Araujo, who is on loan from Barcelona, and has been utilised both centrally and on the right flank of defence.
