Liverpool duo Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak must prove their worth, starting on Wednesday against PSV Eindhoven, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.
Arne Slot's men will return to Champions League action at Anfield against Eredivisie side PSV, and they will be sweating on the fitness of attacker Wirtz, though the German has failed to make an impact at the club so far.
The same can be said of former Newcastle United striker Isak, who has struggled for fitness all campaign due to the lack of a pre-season.
Lynch was fearful that neither player will be able to establish themselves as stars for Liverpool in 2025-26, when he told Sports Mole: "These are the kind of games that you would like to have Wirtz in to unlock those low blocks if he was fit.
"But we need to start seeing more from him as soon as he's back, and the same can be said with Isak. With Isak, my big worry is that this first season is going to be a write-off because he missed pre-season. He's not right yet, and the decision to start him against Forrest was inexplicable.
"He's only getting older, he's already injury prone - you worry that this is not going to work out. That might be over the top and negative, but it brings a pressure when you spend huge money on a signing. They have to be perfect, and he's a million miles from it, as is Florian Wirtz."
Both players were signed for fees in excess of £100m, and it is difficult to continue justifying the players' poor form.
Liverpool's summer signings: Have they made the team weaker?
Wirtz and Isak were not the only summer signings, with the likes of Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike also joining.
The latter has impressed at times but has slowed down recently, while the former has struggled all season since his move from Bournemouth.
Lynch urged the club's summer additions to start proving why Liverpool brought them to Anfield, telling Sports Mole: "Liverpool desperately need their new signings to start turning up. We bang on about the tactics, but the signings have made the team weaker.
"The manager is doing things tactically wrong, but if your players aren't as good as the season before, that's going to be an issue. Isak is not as good as Nunez at the moment. Florian Wirtz is not providing as much as that tight midfield last season.
"Milos Kirkez is not providing what Andy Robertson did last season, and the signings as a whole are not reaching the levels of the guys who preceded them. I don't expect that weakness to continue, and hopefully it doesn't against PSV."
It should be noted that Wirtz and Kerkez are just 22, while Ekitike is adapting to a new league and country at the age of 23.
Liverpool vs. PSV: Can Arne Slot guide the team to Anfield win?
Liverpool lost 3-2 against PSV in January in the Champions League, though the Reds rested numerous starters as they had won seven of their first eight games in the league phase that season.
Considering the Merseysiders have lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, they cannot afford to take Wednesday's game lightly.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch expressed confidence that the match will be relatively easy, saying: "I think Liverpool will win this, and I think they'll win it comfortably. The quality gap is so large.
"I don't think PSV will do any of the things that Liverpool don't like, and they won't have the physicality of Premier League teams. They won't be able to exploit Liverpool in the way that Premier League teams have.
"It won't tell us too much about whether Slot's turned it around or if there's a resurgence on the cards, but I still expect them to win this one. Get a win, get that confidence back up, and see if they can take that into the Premier League, because they need to do that."
A win on Wednesday would increase the Reds' points tally in this term's edition of the competition to 12, and given 16 points was enough to automatically qualify for the round of 16, Slot will no doubt start as strong of an XI as possible.
> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Liverpool's upcoming match against PSV Eindhoven