Wayne Rooney and Jamie Carragher have differing views on Florian Wirtz's opening months at Liverpool.
The German has experienced a somewhat inconsistent beginning to his Anfield career after his high-profile summer transfer from Bayer Leverkusen. Liverpool secured a deal valued at an initial £100 million ($131.8 million) for Wirtz following prolonged speculation, with the complete package potentially rising to £116 million ($152.9 million) including add-ons.
To date, Wirtz has not yet found the net for the Reds but has contributed three assists, none of which have come in the Premier League. The November international break is currently underway, with Wirtz having already joined up with his Germany squad for the coming week.
The Liverpool No. 7 will also be focused on returning to Merseyside for the Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest on November 22 following the break.
Both Rooney and Carragher featured on The Overlap Fan Debate courtesy of Sky Bet, where Wirtz's spell at Liverpool came under discussion. Carragher outlined why he holds reservations about Wirtz's performances as a Reds player thus far.
"I was worried about Florian Wirtz early on – not because he wasn't amazing," said Carragher.
Jamie Carragher disagrees with Rooney
Jamie Carragher disagrees with Rooney (Image: Getty Images)
"When you pay that much money for someone, I just want to see a few glimpses of something to make me think, 'I know he's not the Bayer Leverkusen version yet, but I can see little things.'
"That was early on, and I've seen a few things – the backheel at Chelsea, he played well against Real Madrid.
"My worry about Wirtz is when people say things like he has to get used to his teammates, he's played well in Europe, but it's a different game to the Premier League.
"He played well at Frankfurt and against Real Madrid at home, but he's found it really tough in the Premier League. I worry about him going forward – I get it's early days, but I need to see something to keep me thinking that this will work."
However, Rooney offered a contrasting perspective to Carragher's concerns. The former Manchester United and Everton striker explained why he remains confident that Wirtz will discover his finest form at Liverpool, particularly highlighting the recent tactical shift that has seen the player deployed on the left flank rather than centrally.
"I like Wirtz coming off the left, how he's done the last couple of games," said Rooney. "I know he hasn't scored, but he has created a good number of chances which his teammates haven't taken. I think he'll be fine – players just take time to settle in.
"To go from Leverkusen to Liverpool, it's a big jump. Liverpool is a massive club, and it's not going well for the whole group at Liverpool at the minute.
"When that happens and you're a new player and the money they've spent on him, and similar with Alexander Isak as well, there will be questions, but I think they'll be fine."