View ImageJurgen Klopp (pictured) has heaped praise on fellow countryman Florian Wirtz following his switch to Liverpool(Image: Red Bull Content Pool via Getty Images))
Jurgen Klopp has responded to the criticism of Florian Wirtz following his summer move to Liverpool, describing him as a ‘once in a century talent’. Wirtz joined the Reds from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer for a then-record £116million fee.
But the 22-year-old has endured an underwhelming start, failing to return a goal or assist in his first seven appearances. He was left out of the starting line-up by Arne Slot in the Premier League champions’ last match, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.
Wirtz has found himself in the firing linefor some fans and pundits as his performance levels have been brought into question, but former Liverpoolmanager Klopp is in no doubt whatsoever that his compatriot will soon come good at Anfield.
Speaking to RTL and n-tv whilst watching a padel tournament in Mallorca (as per Goal), Klopp said: “I don’t have to worry about Florian Wirtz because his quality is so outstanding. Of course, everything is fine, and everyone knows that. The discussion is certainly being blown out of proportion.
“Liverpool have just lost three games in a row – it’s unusual for something like that to happen after such a long time. But it’s also normal in life.
“That’s why these things are discussed. I’ve been in the middle of such discussions long enough now, and I can tell you: nothing could interest people less than the public discussions that are taking place there. So it doesn’t matter, and everything will be fine.
Liverpool won their opening six matches of the season but put in a string of unconvincing performances and have since suffered back-to-back last-minute Premier League defeats against Crystal Palace and Chelsea, either side of a Champions League reversal at the hands of Galatasaray.
The form of Wirtz remains a contentious issue but Klopp is in no doubt that the German international will show his true colours sooner rather than later, describing him as “a once-in-a-century talent, and at some point he’ll show that in every game again, as he did at Leverkusen”.
Klopp added: “[Wirtz has] a stable environment at Liverpool, and the club is great in moments like these. If anyone’s worried, you don’t have to! You can stop.”
Liverpool return to Premier League action on Sunday, October 19 when they host bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield.