Jamie Carragher has claimed that Florian Wirtz has had 'a very easy ride' from critics since his £116million arrival at Liverpool, insisting the German must now deliver after another underwhelming display in the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Wirtz's Struggles Continue
The 21-year-old midfielder, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, failed to influence the game as Liverpool suffered a damaging loss to their bitter rivals. Wirtz created three chances but sent both of his shots off target, with the match largely passing him by.
Carragher's Verdict
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: 'The one player I think has had a very easy ride is Florian Wirtz. I've never moved clubs, let alone to a different country, but I think we've given him time. We've been very, very kind.'
'He was poor today. Even when Liverpool play well, it's still Dominik Szoboszlai and at times Mohamed Salah. Salah hasn't been the same as last season, but he's still one of our best attackers.'
Carragher admitted he had been lenient earlier in the season, describing Wirtz as 'neat and tidy' during a commentary stint at Burnley. 'I was being kind then. I wouldn't describe him as anything different right now. He's a year into his Liverpool career,' he added.
Price Tag Pressure
The former Liverpool defender believes the club cannot offload Wirtz due to the huge investment, but warned that his lack of pace and physicality makes him a 'luxury' player. 'When you have a player like that who is so small, doesn't cover the ground and maybe isn't the quickest, everyone around him needs to run. Liverpool have too many like that without the ball — Curtis Jones, Mac Allister, and then Wirtz. I'd only want one in the team, but Arne Slot will want to play the Dutch way and he'll want more technical footballers.'
