Kenny Dalglish tells Florian Wirtz the one thing he needs to do at Liverpool now

Florian Wirtz has yet to score a goal or provide an assist for Liverpool in the Premier League this season, with the German midfielder struggling to adapt at Anfield

Kenny Dalglish says that Florian Wirtz needs to form a strong partnership with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike to succeed at Anfield. The 22-year-old joined the Reds this summer in a then-club-record transfer from Bayer Leverkusen for £116million.

However, after six appearances in the Premier League, he has yet to justify his hefty price tag, failing to score or assist in the top flight. Last season, the attacking midfielder excelled in Germany, netting 16 goals and providing 15 assists.

But his struggle to connect with his new Liverpool team-mates has led many football fans and pundits to question just when he will deliver a return on the hefty investment. While some believe Wirtz simply needs time to adjust, Dalglish has offered his insight into what the player needs to do to find his feet in Arne Slot's side.

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Speaking on the Stick To Football podcast, the legendary former forward and manager - who scored 170 goals for Liverpool in 511 appearances between 1977 and 1990 - said: "The first thing he needs to do is what he's doing at the moment. He's great at taking the ball into the feet, he'll open himself up and the pass has beat you but he's still got control of it.

"Or he'll take it the other way back past you to go that way and you're going this way. He can see what's in front of him, and once he gets it...I saw Isak the other day, the second-half when he came on I think, and he's talking to one of the boys about his movement, what he would do.

"And the boy is sitting and listening to him and once they get on the same wavelength...by the way, that wee fella, he could open a can of soup."

When Dalglish was asked about how quickly it took him to develop a similar understanding with Ian Rush during his playing career, considering their remarkable partnership in the 1980s, he responded: "It could happen right away. For Rushy, it was training for us.

"We did it in training, so that's where you learn it first, isn't it? I told him, 'Rushy, if there's a space there just leave it, I'll play it and you go for it.' Simple."

It comes after Jamie Carragher's recent brutal critique of Wirtz, as the pundit scrutinised Wirtz's start to life at Liverpoool. After the 1-0 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray on Tuesday night, he told CBS Sports: "I'm not watching a top team.

"Liverpool are not playing football, they are playing basketball. And I told [Arne] Slot this on the first game of the season against Bournemouth. They obviously have a fantastic manager.

"Liverpool last season were a top team, but also a workmanlike team, which they've sprinkled a bit of stardust on in terms of the transfers they have brought in. And they haven't gained anything going forward, but they've lost a lot defensively.

"I think for the manager now, he now needs to really earn his money. He did last season, by winning the Premier League, but there are few problems he has got to fix.

"It will be really interesting how he does about it, because he spent a lot of money on certain players. Right now, the balance of the team is not right, and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz, who is just not at the races at all.

"He's a young boy, coming to a new league, and has plenty of time to go. But right now, he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool go back to what they were last season, and try to build some confidence and some stability. Right now it looks like a mess."

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