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Florian Wirtz had yet another disappointing outing for Liverpool in their defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, but a German pundit has urged Arne Slot and the Anfield faithful to believe in the attacking midfielder, who himself has reassured the fans. Wirtz has been a major disappointment since his £116million (€132m, $152.5m) move to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025. The Germany international attacking midfielder has not scored or given an assist in 15 Premier League and Champions League appearances for the Reds. The 22-year-old flopped against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, too, as Pep Guardiola’s side beat Liverpool 3-0 in the Premier League. The Germany international attacking midfielder did not have a single shot on target, did not complete a single cross, did not win a single tackle, and lost possession nine times. Sky Germany described Wirtz’s performance for Liverpool against Man City as ‘ineffective’. Spiegel Sports was not impressed with Wirtz either and noted: ‘After a cross from Matheus Nunes, Haaland scored his second goal shortly afterwards (29th minute), but Liverpool offered little in attack. ‘This also applied to Florian Wirtz, who at least was entrusted with the starting XI on the left wing again. ‘The German international had one good moment when he slid between two City players and was brought down by Nico González in a move that warranted a yellow card (27th minute). ‘Considering 83 minutes of play, that’s a very small number of good moments. ‘Whether and when the Liverpool chapter in Wirtz’s career will come to a head remains completely open.’ Former Bayer Leverkusen and Germany international goalkeeper Rene Adler, though, believes that Liverpool manager Slot has to persevere with Wirtz. The German pundit has said that it is too early to write off Wirtz and is convinced that he will become a star for the Merseyside club. Sport1 quotes Adler as saying: “Arne Slot never tires of emphasising: ‘Give the lad time.’ I see it similarly. This is a long-term investment. “They will have considered very carefully why they invested so much money in this exceptional player. “I am absolutely convinced that he will come. It’s just a matter of time, whether it will be in three months, perhaps it won’t even be his first season. “He still has a few years left on his contract. From the Reds’ point of view, it would be absolutely inexcusable to question him now.” READ NEXT 🔴 Liverpool stitched up by ‘obvious and clear’ VAR error says Arne Slot; Man City admission made Florian Wirtz remains confident of Liverpool success Wirtz himself is fully aware of his struggles at Liverpool, but the youngster, who won the Bundesliga title with Bayer in the 2023/24 campaign, is confident that he will eventually come good for the defending Premier League champions. Sport1 quotes the German playmaker as saying that he is “very happy” to be playing for Liverpool. Wirtz added: “I’m getting my playing time and my contributions on the pitch. So, it’s a good fit. “It’s (The Premier League) definitely different. But after 11 games, I now know exactly what to expect. “That’s why I don’t need to keep mentioning it. I’m here now. “And I’m simply trying to contribute to our success. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out today. “But we’re coming off a good week with two good wins. “This was a slight setback, and we’ll try to attack again after the international break.” However, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes that Wirtz is a problem for Liverpool. Neville told his said on The Gary Neville Podcast: “Wirtz is a problem. “Let’s just call it as it is. It’s an issue. He’s £100m+, and to be fair, I said a few weeks ago [Milos] Kerkez looked like a little boy out there. “Today, I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy. That can’t be the case.” Neville added: “We’ve been tiptoeing around him for a few months, around the fact that he’s young, he’s coming to a new country, but he’s £100m+, you’re going to have to stand up soon. “He’s obviously got something, he’s a really good player, he’s technically fantastic, but he’s been mauled out there today by Matheus Nunes and by others. “He’s been chucked around the pitch, and didn’t deliver on the quality side of things as well, so his performance was a real worry.” Neville continued: “He’s a Germany international of great standing, and he looks well short in respect of what you’d expect in a top physical Premier League match. “They’ve got to get him up to speed, they’ve got to get that little bit of tenacity into him, and that little bit of something that means he’ll start to get into form, because what they have to do is stick with him and persist.” Latest Liverpool transfer news: Inter Milan raid, Man City threat Meanwhile, Inter Milan are ready to offload a defender that Liverpool are ready to big on in 2026. Man City are said to have taken a shine to a Liverpool star, who is in talks with the defending Premier League champions over a new deal.
