Former footballer Jason McAteer prior to the Irish Legends 2023 at Seapoint Golf Club on June 22, 2023 in Louth, Ireland.placeholder image
Former footballer Jason McAteer prior to the Irish Legends 2023 at Seapoint Golf Club on June 22, 2023 in Louth, Ireland. | Getty Images
Former Liverpool player Jason McAteer has been reviewing his former club's start to the season in an interview with Liverpool World
Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer has backed Florian Wirtz to settle at Liverpool as he feels the £116m signing is currently struggling to cope with the physicality of the Premier League.
The German international has yet to score or assist in the English top flight but has created plenty of chances for his teammates that have simply not been put away. He bagged two assists in the Champions League in midweek and played like a player who was starting to get back some confidence.
Wirtz was a star in demand over the summer as both Manchester City and Bayern Munich eyed deals for the German international. However, Liverpool were the ones who were able to get an agreement over the line after a couple of weeks negotiating with Bayer Leverkusen.
The highly-rated star provided an assist in the Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace. Twice in the last two games he might have had the chance to score his first goal but Mohamed Salah opted to shoot rather than square a pass to his teammate.
Jason McAteer backs Florian Wirtz to come good
Speaking about the Liverpool players who have struggled this campaign, former Reds midfielder McAteer said: “If you want to talk about individuals, I think Wirtz is obviously struggling with confidence, struggling with his position he’s being asked to play. I don't think the manager really knows where his best position is at the moment. Certain players are still trying to forge relationships with each other, which can be crucial.”
He added: “I do love a Wirtz in the sense of football. We don't really pay to watch great defending, do we? We pay to watch goals and we pay to watch action. We pay to watch great through balls and flicks and tricks. We pay for the entertainment value, don't we? I appreciate defending, of course, I played in that position.
“You don't win leagues by not having the foundations of a great defence, history will tell you that. But, we come to watch the entertainers, and Wirtz is an entertainer. I love the way he plays.
“I love his energy. I love what he can see, what he can do. He executes things, his movements, his balance. You know, I love that kind of player. But he's just struggled at the minute with the physicality of the Premier League, the speed of it. You know, possibly the price tag is weighing heavily on him at the moment. He's got the seven shirt. Liverpool is a big club to play for. There's expectation.
“He will settle. He will be a good player, I'm sure of it.”
Florian Wirtz has already earned Jurgen Klopp backing
Legendary former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been keen to back Wirtz amid his slow start to life on Merseyside. Speaking earlier this month, Klopp said: "His quality is so outstanding. The discussions are a bit exaggerated. Liverpool just lost three games in a row, which is unusual. But that’s also normal in life.
“And that’s why such things are discussed there. Now I’ve been in the middle of such discussions long enough and can say: nothing could interest people there less than the public discussions. [Wirtz is] a once-in-a-century talent, and at some point he’ll show that in every game again, just as he did at Leverkusen."
Liverpool fans will have noticed an improvement from Wirtz in recent weeks with his biggest issue the lack of physicality. His talent will surely shine through the more he gets used to his new surroundings, as was indicated by his two assists in midweek.
Continue Reading