Gary Neville provided a brutal assessment of Florian Wirtz's contributions to Liverpool so far following the Reds' thrashing by Manchester City in the Premier League
Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz remains without a Premier League goal
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Florian Wirtz has delivered a defiant message in the wake of Liverpool's 3-0 demolition against Manchester City. The German playmaker has suggested the Reds will not be deterred by their downturn in form as he said: "We keep going."
Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku all got on the scoresheet as Virgil van Dijk cruelly had an equalising goal ruled out. The result saw Liverpool fall to eighth in the Premier League, having lost five of their last six matches in the division.
After a busy summer of spending, the Premier League champions have failed to hit the heights of last season under Arne Slot. That has led to the likes of Wirtz and Milos Kerkez coming under scrutiny.
Wirtz's message on his Instagram story came as his form was targeted by former Manchester United defender and pundit Gary Neville. The former Bayer Leverkusen star has yet to produce a goal or an assist in the top-flight since arriving in a British record deal.
Neville believes that 22-year-old's performances must be highlighted after he looked like a 'little boy' against City. The ex-United captain did not hold back.
He said on the Gary Neville Podcast : "Wirtz is a problem. Let's just call it as it is. It's an issue. He's £100m+, and to be fair, I said a few weeks ago [Milos] Kerkez looked like a little boy out there. Today I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy. That can't be the case."
"We've been tiptoeing around him for a few months, around the fact that he's young, he's coming to a new country, but he's £100m+, you're going to have to stand up soon. He's obviously got something, he's a really good player, he's technically fantastic, but he's been mauled out there today by Matheus Nunes and by others.
"He's been chucked around the pitch, and didn't deliver on the quality side of things as well, so his performance was a real worry."
Florian Wirtz is dejected
Florian Wirtz has not hit the ground running at Liverpool
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Florian Wirtz sent a message
Florian Wirtz posted on Instagram(Image: Instagram/FloWirtz)
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Despite his evisceration of Wirtz's efforts, Neville is adamant Liverpool must play their part in getting him up to speed. The commentator reckons Slot must persist with the summer signing.
"He's a Germany international of great standing, and he looks well short in respect of what you'd expect in a top physical Premier League match," added Neville.
"They've got to get him up to speed, they've got to get that little bit of tenacity into him, and that little bit of something that means he'll start to get into form, because what they have to do is stick with him and persist."
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