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Arne Slot has dropped a hint about Andy Robertson’s Liverpool future and also explained what the Reds need to do to get the best out of Florian Wirtz ahead of his side’s trip to Manchester City . The reigning Premier League champions travel to the Etihad on Sunday in their final game before the November international break. Liverpool have returned to form following a wretched run that saw them lose six games from seven outings, with the Reds bouncing back with morale-boosting victories over both Aston Villa and Real Madrid . Should they beat City on Sunday, they will leapfrog their rivals in the table and could sit as high as second heading into the international break. In his pre-match press conference, Slot offered an injury update on Alexander Isak and also fielded questions on the impressive recent form of the likes of Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai . He was also quizzed about Wirtz ’s best role, after the German impressed on the left wing against Real Madrid. So, with that in mind, Mirror Football has taken a look at the best from the Dutchman's chat with the media on Friday morning… Slot played down the importance of vice-captain Robertson now being the wrong side of 30 after the left-back forced his way back into the Liverpool starting XI. The 31-year-old, who had offers to leave the Reds in the summer, is out of contract at the end of the season, with his future the subject of speculation as a result. He had started the season behind summer signing Milos Kerkez in the pecking order, but won his place back for the recent victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid. Slot was full of praise for the defender ahead of the trip to Man City as he offered a hint about Robertson’s future, saying: “It’s been a while since I heard the word contract but there it is again! “He’s done really well in the last three games because he has played three games in seven days, though I took him off against Palace after 60-65 minutes. I was very pleased to see he could play almost 90 in his last game because it’s hard for players to play three games in seven days. “Eight days or nine days is already a big difference compared to seven days. But he’s done well, as the team did. It’s so helpful for every individual if the team plays at its best, and I think that’s what we did in the last two games. “He’s been calm on the ball and done a job defensively. So happy with his two, maybe three performances, though Palace, 3-0 loss, wasn’t the best game of the season. “Over 30 doesn’t tell me anything. If I look at Virgil, Mo and Robbo, who was last season also above 30, and all three of them were able to win the Premier League and all three of them played a big part in it. “If a 24-year-old doesn’t play as well, nobody talks about his age. If a 32, 33, 34-year-old has one or two bad games, people start talking about age. That is how things work in this industry. But I think 32, I wouldn’t say that that is old for a football player in my opinion.” Liverpool’s return to form in the past week has coincided with Slot’s decision to restore Szoboszlai to the number 10 position. When it was put to the Reds head coach that even club legend Steven Gerrard would have been proud of the Hungarian’s performance against Real Madrid, Slot admitted he has exceeded his own high standards so far this season. He said: “That’s probably the best compliment he can get! (A performance vs Real Madrid Steven Gerrard would have been proud of). “I think he has been outstanding throughout the whole season, but these two games brought even more out of the team and out for him. “I think Dominik has a lot of qualities but one of them is also his work without the ball. I like his work without the ball every single game but in the last two games, that was probably even above his own standards.” Wirtz might have predominantly played at number 10 since joining Liverpool in the summer, but he impressed on the left against Real Madrid. The German has been benched for recent top-flight clashes with Everton , Chelsea , Manchester United and Aston Villa, but caught the eye on his return to the starting XI against the La Liga giants. But while it remains to be seen if he will keep his place against Man City on Sunday, Slot played down the importance of the German’s exact starting position, instead insisting it matters more that Liverpool get the midfielder on the ball in the final third. He said: “Florian can play in more than one position. He can play off the left, which he did almost all of the time in Leverkusen when Xabi Alonso came and introduced his 3-4-3 system. “Before that, he mainly played as a 10 in a 4-3-3. I think it’s more about getting him in the positions where he is good at than we should be so focused on is he a 10, is he an 11 or is he an eight? “I think we would like to have him in and around the 18-yard box centrally, or a bit more off the left or a bit more off the right, for him to create the amount of chances he’s already created for us.” Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
