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Florian Wirtz has not yet reached his Bayer Leverkusen levels at Liverpool.
Joining the club at a turbulent time, it took quite a while for the German to start showing his quality, but there have been enough signs of quality to feel optimistic about his future at Anfield.
Liverpool insiders see Wirtz as the future — a player central to this new sporting project.
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And German national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann has no doubts about him meeting the expectations that come with a £100 million plus move.
Jurgen Klinsmann thinks Florian Wirtz is poised to explode at Liverpool next season
Especially for a 22-year-old, it’s unfair to assume they will be at the top of their game right away, especially when adapting to a new league.
Arne Slot has played Wirtz in multiple positions, but really he needs to be cemented as Liverpool’s central creative outlet.
Once his role is established, Klinsmann expects great things. Appearing on the Spielmacher podcast, he was asked whether the extended adjustment period was a surprise.
He responds: “”No, it didn’t surprise me at all. He moved from an extremely strong Bayer Leverkusen side, where everything was relatively calm, structured, and under control, to an absolutely massive club, one of the biggest in the world. It’s similar to moving to FC Bayern Munich, it’s anything but easy.
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“I even said on TV here in the USA, when people were being critical of him: give him time. He just needs time to settle in. It’s a completely new adventure hitting him all at once. But the kid is good—and in the end, quality always comes through. And that’s exactly what’s happening now.”
As we enter a pivotal stage in the season, it’s imperative that our best players are finding form. Wirtz has been patchy at times, but the same can be said for every Liverpool player not named Dominik Szoboszlai.
Klinsmann has full faith in his player to kick on at the club level.
He concludes: “He’s establishing himself, putting his stamp on the game. Even if he’s not scoring as many goals as he did at Leverkusen yet, that will come in year two or three. I have no concerns about that. He stayed strong, didn’t give up, kept a positive mindset. He had to adapt to completely different teammates and a different style of play.
“That’s why I’m a big fan of Florian Wirtz. And you have to say, overall, he’s had a very good season. Not the extraordinary season he had at Leverkusen, but he’s a top player, and that will all come back in time.”
Hopefully the German boss is right. He will certainly want Wirtz to come into his own in the coming weeks, and carry form into the World Cup where he is set to play a central role.
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