Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116m deal, and the German had a slow start to life in England.
There was a lot of expectation on the versatile midfielder after he impressed under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen.
However, the media were not happy with Wirtz during the early days of his career on Merseyside.
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Alisson before Marseille vs Liverpool - UEFA Champions League
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Gary Neville’s comments on the Liverpool ace were especially harsh after the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City earlier this campaign.
However, Wirtz is now in top form, with his special connection to Hugo Ekitike helping the 22-year-old become one of Liverpool’s most important players in recent matches.
Liverpool are backing Florian Wirtz to become a generational talent
He now has four goals in his last seven appearances at Anfield, and after failing to score or assist in the opening 11 Premier League games of the season, has now notched 12 goal contributions.
A shock to some, perhaps, but those in a position of power at Liverpool always knew he was going to be a star.
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The Daily Mail have published a report detailing the German’s signing and season so far.
When doing so, they shared what every executive thinks Wirtz will become at Liverpool.
It read: “They wanted him because, at 22 years old, every club executive knew that barring any serious injuries, Wirtz would go on to be one of the stars of his generation.
“A future Ballon d’Or winner perhaps, the poster boy of Germany’s home Euros in 2024 and their main man again this summer in the World Cup.”
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Florian Wirtz during Liverpool v Leeds United - Premier League
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Hugo Ekitike’s stance on Florian Wirtz
As mentioned, a key part of Wirtz’s recent rise has been his connection with Ekitike.
Together, the duo have combined for a total of six goals across all competitions this term, the joint-most of any Reds duo aged 23 or under since Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen in 2002/03.
Meanwhile, Ekitike has shared his verdict on Wirtz recently, explaining that he loves playing with the ex-Leverkusen man.
He said: “Yeah, I gave him [Wirtz] a lot of assists. He needs to give it me back now.
“Obviously, as I said before like he’s a great player. I love to play with that kind of player and hopefully like we can just do that and continue each game in every game. Keep scoring and give assists to each other.”
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