Florian Wirtz has been backed to overcome his early Liverpool struggles by Sir Kenny Dalglish and Rudi Völler, insisting that all the summer recruit needs is time after former Reds defender Jamie Carragher suggested he ought to be dropped.
Wirtz is yet to score or assist for Liverpool across eight appearances in the Premier League and Champions League, inviting scrutiny following what was at the time a British record transfer worth up to £116 million ($156.3 million) from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Germany international began the season as Liverpool’s No. 10, before losing his place for the Merseyside derby against Everton. He returned to the side on the left wing for the next match against Crystal Palace, but was restored to a central role for Tuesday’s defeat to Galatasaray.
Carragher argued that Wirtz is an “obvious” issue when it comes to getting the balance of the team right, now that Liverpool have lost two in a row.
“He has got plenty of time to go as a Liverpool player, but right now I think he needs to come out of the team,” the retired star warned, “…[for] Liverpool go back to what they were last season and then go from there and build some confidence, build some defensive solidity. Right now. it is a mess.”
