'We and Florian are perfectly happy!' - Wirtz's dad weighs in on early Liverpool struggles as Reds wait to see best from £116m ace

While fans have been apprehensive about whether Wirtz can replicate his Bundesliga brilliance, his father and agent, Hanz Wirtz, remains completely calm. Speaking to Bild, Hans offered a glimpse into how the family views Florian’s Liverpool adventure so far.

"My thought from the very beginning was to wait and see how the first ten league games went," he said. "We and Florian are perfectly happy with that. The incredible speed, the back and forth, that was very impressive for the first few games. The distances covered and the speed were significantly greater. The style of play is sometimes enormously different because it doesn't seem as organised, but rather more focused on pace."

Despite the adaptation struggles, Hans insisted there are no regrets about the transfer. He believes the Liverpool project under Arne Slot is still in its early stages and that both player and club are a work in progress, which will bear fruits in time.

"I think the league table clearly shows that there's still room for improvement in this football machine," he said. "But the mechanics will sort that out. I hope he's such a good player that he can adapt to the demands there and that he enjoys it just as much as he did in the Bundesliga. He has settled in well with the team and that his teammates certainly recognise his quality."

Liverpool’s summer rebuild was one of the biggest in recent memory, and Wirtz was one of the marquee signings alongside Alexander Isak. Hans revealed that Slot played a decisive role in convincing his son to choose Anfield over Munich.

"It was important that Arne Slot spoke with Florian and explained his value to him," he revealed. "He showed how he envisioned the collaboration and that convinced Florian."

Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger recently raised eyebrows when he claimed that Wirtz’s insistence on playing as a No.10 early in the season "destroyed Liverpool’s balance," and his unreasonable demands forced Slot into making unnecessary tactical changes. According to Wenger, the Reds looked disjointed and got overrun in midfield until the manager recalibrated the shape against Aston Villa and Real Madrid.

"When Wirtz had the choice between going to Bayern Munich or Liverpool, he said to Liverpool: 'I come to you if I play No 10. I do not want to play wide.' Liverpool, to get him, they say Okay," Wenger revealed. "They started him and they destroyed their midfield - which was (Ryan) Gravenberch, (Alexis) Mac Allister, (Dominik) Szoboszlai. To play Wirtz, they took Szoboszlai out."

As results went south, Slot went back to the tried and tested formula that earned them their 20th league title. Weneger added: "What have they done against Aston Villa? They have gone back to their midfield of last year. And tonight, they play Wirtz, but I'm sure that Wirtz will play on the side. The manager has said: 'If you want to play again, you will have to play wide because I do not want to disturb the midfield.' That will be interesting to see tonight. Wirtz is back in the team but certainly will have to play left, where he was when he played at Leverkusen."

Slot, however, has publicly backed his new star, defending his versatility.

"Florian can play in more than only one position," the Liverpool boss said. "He can play off the left, which he did almost all the time in Leverkusen when Xabi Alonso came and introduced his 3-4-3 system. Before, he played as a 10 in a 4-3-3. It is more about getting him positions where he is good, rather than being focused on 'is he a 10, is he an 11, is he an eight?'"

Wirtz put up an industrious and composed display in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Real Madrid at Anfield. Next up is Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday. It is a brutal stage that could expose a player still searching for confidence. It remains to be seen if Slot takes the risk and hands him a start against Pep Guardiola's men.

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