Florian Wirtz has been tipped to make a loan move in January following a disappointing start to his Liverpool career.
In June, Liverpool made a clear statement of intent as they broke the Premier Leaguetransfer record with the signing of Bayer Leverkusen star Wirtz in a £116million deal.
Expectations on the the 22-year-old were high but he has so far failed to impress across his 16 appearances for the Premier League champions.
The German international’s lacklustre performances has led to him being dropped from Liverpool’s starting lineup, despite manager Arne Slot calling for fans to be patient with Wirtz.
However, less than six months after his move to the Merseyside club, Wirtz has been tipped to leave in a surprise loan move in the upcoming January transfer window.
Florian Wirtz has struggled at Liverpool. (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Liverpool are expected to be busy in the winter window, with the likes of Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo and Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, who missed out on a move to Liverpool in the summer, both strongly linked.
But recent reports have suggested that the club could also consider letting players go in the new year, and former Liverpool player Didi Harman believes Wirtz could be one of the players considered for a loan.
Speaking to CoinPoker, he said: “Could Florian Wirtz still leave Liverpool on loan in January? Yeah.
“Obviously with all the help and all the protection from the club and the manager, if you bring somebody in for that amount of money, then maybe he should be the one, even though he’s still very young, then maybe you expect him to turn things around.”
Harman argued that Wirtz may not feel that he is able to turn around his poor form and could therefore consider a loan should the idea be presented to him.
Harman has suggested Wirtz could leave Liverpool in January. (Image: Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
He continued: “I don’t think, the way he’s playing at the moment, I’m not sure he’s capable of doing that. And when I watch him sometimes, you know, thinking, has he lost belief because it is in the Premier League?
“Sometimes when I watch him when he loses possession, I’m thinking maybe it’s because it’s a lot quicker, a lot more physical, as if he were to say: ‘I’m not sure that’s for me.’
“I hope I’m wrong, but this is how it looks to me. Sometimes if it’s going on for too long, you know, it’s very hard to turn it around.”
Wirtz hasn’t featured for Liverpool in the previous two matches, however, ahead of Sunday’s clash with West Ham United, Slot confirmed that midfielder was entering the final stage of his rehabilitation and could return to the squad list this weekend.