Wayne Rooney has offered his thoughts on Florian Wirtz and he has not been positive about the German midfielder’s start to life at Liverpool.
Liverpool did not hold back in the summer transfer window. In fact, they smashed the British transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz for £116m, only to do so again by bringing Alexander Isak to Anfield.
Wirtz was an important player for Bayer Leverkusen over the past few seasons. The midfielder bagged 10 goals and 12 assists in his final Bundesliga campaign and found the back of the net six times in the Champions League.
However, he has made an unexpectedly slow start at Liverpool, failing to secure a single goal contribution in the Premier League. Wirtz did get an assist in the Community Shield, but this did not prevent his team from suffering a defeat to Crystal Palace after losing via a penalty shootout in August.
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has revealed his thoughts on the 22-year-old and he is certainly not writing him off in the long-term. However, Rooney is struggling to see how Arne Slot can justify starting Wirtz based on the other players the manager has at his disposal.
He told BBC Sport: “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. 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.”
Rooney believes Wirtz does not fit into Liverpool’s system and he has even compared him with Dominik Szoboszlai. The 24-year-old Hungarian’s brilliant free kick made the difference in a crucial Premier League victory over Arsenal and he assisted the winning goal against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
“I’ve seen players come into this league and it takes time,” Rooney continued. “For me, it’s not the price tag, it’s not the player and his ability. I don’t see where he fits into what Liverpool do in that system.
“So, is he a third midfield player? For me, no, he’s more of an attacking player. So if I have to choose between him and Szoboszlai, then I choose Szoboszlai.”
Szoboszlai has sometimes been played in a deeper role this season and he also started at right back due to Jeremie Frimpong’s injury. However, questions are now being asked as to whether he should return to his natural position and as a result, if Wirtz should be dropped to the bench.
Liverpool are on a three-match losing streak in all competitions and were scraping victories by narrow margins before that.
This could mean Slot is required to make some changes to his preferred starting lineup if his team are to find form again after the international break when they welcome bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday 19th October.
