Florian Wirtz has admitted that Hugo Ekitike has surprised him after both players moved to Liverpool from the Bundesliga.
Between the pair, it cost Liverpool £195.5m in transfer fees in the summer.
Wirtz has found his feet at Anfield since the start of the festive period and is now essential to the way Arne Slot’s side plays.
While there is a lot of work for the Reds to do in terms of finding balance and consistency, it’s clear that Wirtz will be a huge success at Liverpool and in the Premier League.
So far, the German has five goals and seven assists in all competitions. With four months left of the season, there is plenty of time for him to add to his tally.
His relationship with Ekitike is one that seems likely to only flourish with time.
Wirtz talks about his relationship with Ekitike
The pair dazzled against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday evening. Wirtz was spectacular in his free-roaming role while Ekitike’s pace and direct nature proved more than effective.
Speaking about the striker, Wirtz said: “Because we know each other already from the Bundesliga. And we played a few times against each other.
“We exchanged our shirts already when he was at Frankfurt, and he’s a really fantastic player and he even surprised me when I first saw him here, training and playing, because I didn’t know he was that good.
“And it’s so much fun to play with him because he knows how you move on the pitch, how you link up with each other.
“And yeah, it’s just nice to play with him.”
Ekitike is proving to be a truly special talent despite being overshadowed by Isak in the summer
After signing Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt out from under the noses of Newcastle United, Liverpool spent the rest of the summer chasing Alexander Isak.
While Newcastle visit Anfield tonight without the prospect of facing Isak due to his injury, they arrive with the knowledge that Ekitike is proving to be everything they hoped he would.
With 13 goals and 4 assists, Ekitike is Liverpool’s top goalscorer this season and is proving to be worth the £79m paid to sign him.
One can only imagine what Liverpool’s attack will be like when they have Isak and Ekitike together with a fully ready Wirtz…