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German legend Rudi Voller has backed Florian Wirtz to overcome his early struggles at Liverpool and 'show the English' what he's really made of.
The £116million signing has made an underwhelming start at Anfield, with no goals or assists in the Premier League and Champions League.
With Liverpool not firing on all cylinders and losing twice in a week, against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray, the 22-year-old has been singled out for criticism.
Jamie Carragher and Wayne Rooney have been among those to take aim at the attacking midfielder.
But Voller, who scored 47 goals in 90 games for West Germany and Germany, in addition to a stellar club career with the likes of Werder Bremen and Roma, stood up for Wirtz.
He told Bild: 'Florian is playing in a new league and a new club. These are normal adjustment problems.
Florian Wirtz has had an underwhelming start to life at Liverpool after signing for £116million
'Almost every professional has them. I have no doubt that with his running and playing ability, he will make the breakthrough.'
Wirtz is showing glimpses of what he is capable of and has impressive running numbers and chance creation stats.
He has created 21 chances in the Premier League, only matched by Jack Grealish, but his team-mates have not been able to finish them off and Wirtz is yet to deliver a big match-winning moment in a Liverpool shirt.
Carragher thinks he should be dropped by Arne Slot, saying on CBS: 'Right now I don't think the balance of the team is right and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz.
'He's just not at the races at all. He's a young boy coming into a new league - he has got plenty of time to go as Liverpool player but right now I think he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool go back to what they were last season and then go from there and build some confidence, build some defensive stability.
'Because right now it is a mess.'
The former Liverpool defender's remarks came after Wayne Rooney had said Wirtz damages the balance of the side.
The former Manchester United striker said on his BBC podcast: ‘It’s been tough for him, I don’t think there’s any denying that. He’ll be searching deep within himself to try and fix that and trying to figure out.
Wirtz was unable to provide the key moment in the abject loss against Galatasaray
Jamie Carragher said he thinks Wirtz should be taken out of the team
‘I think he’s played okay, but when you sign so many players like Liverpool have, and they’ve signed basically a whole new front line while also having Mo Salah there as well, then they’re all competing.
‘And I think Wirtz, he’s the one who’s probably not doing as well. He’s got so much ability but for me, I don’t see where he gets into the team.’
He continued: ‘It was a lot of money and I think Wirtz actually damages the balance of Liverpool, how they play. But he’s a top player and I’m sure he will get better, of course he will. But he’s had a slow start and I think there’s no denying that.’
Wirtz is yet to play a full 90 minutes in the Premier League and is still adjusting to his new home and new team-mates.
He will be desperate to prove Voller right before long and a strong performance this weekend against Chelsea would be a welcome change as Liverpool aim to bounce back from their consecutive defeats.
Wirtz himself has spoken about his form and in an interview with Sky Germany, the 22-year-old admitted: 'Yes, of course I would have liked to have scored a goal or collected a few points. But no matter what anyone says, I'm staying cool.
Voller is backing Wirtz to turn it around and show the English what he's made of
And Wirtz added that there's nobody who has higher expectations than himself to deliver in for Arne Slot's men and reveal the advice he is tired of being told 'constantly'.
He went on: 'I don't want to constantly hear "give it time, give it time." Instead, I simply try to do it better each time than before.
'Sometimes there are just phases where things aren't going well for you. I haven't had that very often in my career.
'Once I get through it—that might be harsh, because I'm not playing badly, I just haven't got the points (goals and assists) yet — it will come at some point, and then everything will be fine.
'It’s no secret that I’d like to have more so far, but I’m patient, and as I just said, I know full well that I can play good football. Sooner or later, I’m sure that things will return to normal.'
'No matter what anyone says, I stay cool. I just try to do better every time than before.'
