Florian Wirtz is in form at Liverpool but has made a slow start and was criticized by Gary Neville, but Jamie Carragher hopes his Sky Sports colleague will be proven wrong
Florian Wirtz enjoyed his best game since joining the Reds last weekend (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher has been hugely impressed with Florian Wirtz’s development and wants the Liverpool playmaker to “shut those words down Gary Neville’s throat” after the former Manchester United star claimed he was playing like a “little boy” earlier this season.
The German was signed in the summer for what was then a UK record fee for Bayer Leverkusen after a successful few years with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. He entered the company with a great reputation, but was a late starter.
He hasn’t been involved in goal for several weeks, putting more pressure on him and his performance in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City left Neville doubting what Liverpool would do with Wertz and admitting he was a problem for Arne Slott.
The pundit said: “Let’s just say it, it’s a problem. He’s worth over £100 million and to be fair a few weeks ago I said (Milos) Kerkes looked like a little boy down there, but today I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy.”
Since then, Werts has shown significant improvement, settling into Premier League life and becoming an increasingly influential player in the game. Having been involved in six goals in his last eight games, Carragher has challenged the German to prove Neville wrong as he looks for revenge this weekend when Liverpool host City.
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He told Sky Sports: “Wirtz is getting better all the time. Eventually he has to take over, but there is no doubt that this player has real quality. The Premier League lost Kevin De Bruyne, but we got Wirtz.”
“We’re talking about a special player coming into our league. I watched him a lot and thought about whether he could reach De Bruyne’s level. When you look at Wirtz, you think he could be as good-looking as David Silva, but he’s pretty much both.”
“I don’t know if he can achieve the numbers that De Bruyne got. But speaking of a slow start…one of the games was away to City and Gary Neville said he was like a boy, and now we have City at Anfield (this weekend). He’s confident. He’s gone from being a boy. It’s a great opportunity to shove those words down Neville’s throat.”
The German’s early struggles were summed up by his poor performance in Manchester (Image: Getty)
Carragher himself had doubts a few months ago whether Wirtz would be able to break his contract after witnessing a difficult start to life at Liverpool. He cited how some of the best foreign imports had taken off, and was not convinced the Germans would do well.
The 22-year-old always had the faith of his manager, who asked for patience during a difficult period for Wirtz. His struggles coincided with a decline in Liverpool’s form, but Wirtz returned to his best form at the weekend with a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over Newcastle.
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