Gary Neville has urged Florian Wirtz to rethink his movements on the pitch as the 22-year-old adjusts to life at Liverpool following a record-breaking transfer.
The highly-rated midfielder arrived on Merseyside this summer for 116 million GBP, a fee that briefly set a new club record before being eclipsed by Alexander Isak’s 125m deadline-day move. His reputation and price tag have generated intense expectations, but Wirtz’s start in the Premier League has been muted.
Three games in, against Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal, he has shown glimpses of his technical quality yet remains without a goal or assist.
At times he has looked overwhelmed by the speed and chaos of English football, struggling to provide the decisive end product supporters are eager to see.
“I think he’s a little too predictable,” the Man Utd legend said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
“He’s had two difficult games. Anybody finds it difficult to find space against Arsenal.
“And against Newcastle, it must have felt like a tornado had hit him. I’m sure when they got back from St James’ Park the other night, Wirtz was probably thinking, ‘Bloody hell, that’s the Premier League.’
“But I was watching him quite a bit. Sometimes you hear expressions by coaches, and sometimes you say [about a player], ‘He’s always on the move.’ And I’m watching Wirtz and he’s always on the move. And I’m thinking, ‘Bloody stand still for a second!’
“I’m watching him drift between the lines, he’s probably moving too quick. Because I always think sometimes when someone is playing in the pocket or in the hole… I used to think that when they were moving it caught the eye of the defenders, it caught the eye of the midfield players, and they were easier to mark.
“I always thought when they just walked and looked disinterested, and then all of sudden they made a quick movement – that was when you got done [as a defender] in the pocket.”
