Jamie Carragher has claimed that Florian Wirtz does not fit into the Liverpool team after his less-than-inspiring start to life at Anfield.
The German midfielder was signed for a huge fee of £116m last season. But he had an inconsistent debut campaign. Wirtz scored seven times and notched ten assists, but was criticised for his lack of involvement.
The 23-year-old had a miserable start to this season, having been hauled off after just over an hour in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle. In assessing his performance, Liverpool icon Carragher has claimed that there is no place for Wirtz in the side under Andoni Iraola.
Carragher's Verdict on Wirtz
“What to do with Wirtz?” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “I’ve been seen as critical of Florian Wirtz maybe last season.
“This thing that it takes players a year to settle in the Premier League, I think, is a bit of a myth. I don’t think there’s too many examples. When I see people say he’s got to be number 10, that means Szoboszlai has to be in the team in central midfield. He is not a central midfield player.
“I thought this would come up in six weeks; I think it’s coming up right now. I don’t see where he fits in at all in the team. I thought I’d be having that conversation in four or six weeks. I’m looking at it right now thinking, ‘What’s Iraola going to do with this?’ You can’t keep going with it. It’s not working. It didn’t work last season. I just think it’s getting into the stage that he doesn’t fit in.
“I always thought you could put him in a pocket on the left like he does for Germany but Iraola likes wingers, likes energy.
“I don't think we're seeing a massive underperformance. I think what we've seen for a year is probably what he is, which is a neat and tidy footballer. Not a player who should be worth £110m, someone who probably should be £50m-60m, something like that. Neat and tidy, lovely touch. I'm not sure what people are expecting.”
Neville's Take on Wirtz
Carragher’s colleague Gary Neville also offered his take on the Liverpool playmaker. And he suggested that it was down to the German midfielder to show his true self - not Iraola.
Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, he said: "He needs to sort himself out. Enough's enough now, we've talked about him enough. He's young and he's come to a different country -- and I'm all for willing him on.
"I can see a real player there, but I can't keep watching this stuff and he's been subbed after an hour and they need a goal, but they're 2-1 down, so that's not right.
"I don't see the tenacity in Wirtz, in particular. I see a nice player moving around the pitch not really ever looking like he is busting a gut to do anything. I want to put a rocket up him because there is ability there, there is talent there, the understanding of his position.
"I just feel like Wirtz had to really think about being involved in the build up less, think about being the second striker rather than the third midfield player and the output of what he has to do."
