Florian Wirtz given Kenny Dalglish advice

Florian Wirtz has struggled to make a telling impact in his first months as a Liverpool player, but the No. 7 has the backing of the shirt’s most legendary occupant.

Wirtz took the No. 7 shirt upon his £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer and with it came a greater weight of expectation.

It is fair to say that, with no goals and one assist in his nine appearances so far, the 22-year-old has found difficulty in adjusting to his new surroundings.

But speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Liverpool’s legendary former No. 7, Sir Kenny Dalglish, insisted Wirtz will soon find form working off Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike.

“What I think he needs to do, first, is what he’s doing at the moment,” Dalglish explained.

“He’s great at taking the ball into 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 past you to go that way and you’ll go this way. He can see what’s in front of him and once he gets it…

“I saw Isak the other day there, the second half he came on and he was talking to one of the boys about his movement, what he would do.

“The boy’s sat listening to him and once they get on the same wavelength…that wee fella could open a can of soup.”

Dalglish was asked to compare Wirtz’s developing relationship with Liverpool’s two new centre-forwards to that which he enjoyed with Ian Rush – and how long it can take to find an understanding on the pitch.

“It could happen right away,” he said.

“For Rushie [and me] it was training, we did it in training. That’s where you learn it first isn’t it?

“And then I told him, I said ‘Rushie, if there’s a space there, just leave it. I’ll play it and you go for it’. Simple.”

“No concerns” over Wirtz in Germany

The player himself has been candid over his lack of goal contributions since joining Liverpool, telling Sky Germany last week that “sooner or later, I’m sure that things will return to normal.”

And Wirtz clearly has the backing of those in his native country, with German legend Rudi Voller telling BILD he has “no concerns” over him not hitting the heights expected of him at Anfield.

“Florian shouldn’t let himself get carried away,” Voller, who is now director of the German national team, said.

“I have no concerns about that: he’ll show the English what he’s made of.

“Florian is playing in a new league and a new club. These are normal adjustment problems. Almost every professional has them.

“I have no doubt that with his running and playing ability, he will make the breakthrough.”

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