The Reds' collapse at Old Trafford raises further questions about the squad's readiness to compete at the top level — and one player in particular endured a nightmare start
04:00, 05 May 2026
Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz look dejected
Florian Wirtz had little impact in Liverpool's defeat to Manchester United, prompting bigger questions about his Liverpool role(Image: Getty Images)
It took just 53 seconds for the howls of derision to begin.
Misplacing a simple pass to the extent it trickled out for a throw-in is hardly the ideal start to such a high-profile fixture.
When Florian Wirtz signed for Liverpool last summer, he would no doubt have eyed up a first Old Trafford bow with intrigue. That it was scheduled for such a crucial period of the season only added extra gravitas. Could the German have even envisaged beating Liverpool’s arch rivals in May to secure back-to-back Premier League titles? Only he knows the answer to that, but the reality of his situation has proved far less attractive.
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Beginning the game with such an embarrassing error was far from ideal, and Wirtz and Liverpool were soundly beaten by Manchester United, a team that finished 42 points behind the champions last season and is now six clear this term. Now, Arne Slot's side will conclude a trophyless season with a nervous dash to the finish line to secure a Champions League place.
The reasons for Liverpool’s decline this season are infinite, but Wirtz’s form is certainly among them. While there has been an understanding that the diminutive German needs time to adapt to the rigors of the Premier League, after committing £116 million ($157 million) on a generational talent, more was expected at this stage.
“The one player I think has had a very easy ride is Florian Wirtz,” opined Jamie Carragher following Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat in Manchester. “I've never moved clubs, let alone moved to a different country, but I think we've given him time. We've been very, very kind. I commentated on Liverpool away at Burnley earlier in the season, and I described Wirtz as being neat and tidy. I was being kind then. I wouldn't describe him as anything different right now. He's a year into his Liverpool career.”
Florian Wirtz
Wirtz struggled to make an impact on the game at Old Trafford(Image: Getty Images)
That lack of cutting edge is becoming a problem. To say Sunday’s display was a stinker from Wirtz doesn’t quite do it justice. He failed to produce a shot on target, completed one dribble and managed two touches in the opposition area — the same number as Rio Ngumoha, who played 15 minutes.
Wirtz also managed just three passes into the final third, fewer than both United center-backs, while no one was dispossessed more often in the game. Indeed, it was his loss of the ball and subsequent foul that led to Matheus Cunha’s opening goal. This wasn’t quite the impact FSG or Slot imagined when they fought off competition from Europe’s elite clubs to sign Wirtz last summer.
That he has produced just three goals and two assists in his last 15 Liverpool games is alarming. The contrast with Bruno Fernandes, who is on the verge of setting a Premier League record for assists in a season, was stark. As the Portuguese midfielder directed the tempo and flow of the game, Liverpool’s creator-in-chief capitulated.
Away from the stats and numbers, watching Wirtz, his deficiencies are obvious. He was bullied at Old Trafford, cowed by the physicality of Casemiro, Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo. Not for the first time this season, the former Bayer Leverkusen man epitomized Liverpool’s weak and timid approach.
Even more concerning is the waning of his in-game impact. After a problematic start to his Liverpool career, Wirtz managed five goals and three assists in 11 games across December and January, when he appeared to have finally found his feet in the English game.
The 23-year-old has spoken on several occasions of his brutal introduction to the English game, how the need to bulk up and play quicker soon became apparent. “I know that they paid a lot for me,” Wirtz said in an interview last month. “I still think that I'm improving, it was a difficult start for me because I wanted to impact the team immediately. I have to accept it, I'm feeling very good now on a physical level.”
Admittedly, Wirtz has been hamstrung by the general downturn and gloom at Liverpool this season. He was far from the only player who struggled at Old Trafford. But as the current campaign draws to a close and Liverpool’s focus slowly switches to what comes next, big questions remain on whether Wirtz can be relied upon to deliver next term.
Again, he’s not alone. Slot spoke at length on Friday about Liverpool’s need to maximize the talents of Wirtz and Alexander Isak, a partnership that has delivered precious little so far. Liverpool will probably limp through to the end of the campaign and secure a Champions League place without relying on the expensively procured duo, but that expectation will shift next season.
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At least Isak can point to fitness issues. Wirtz has no such excuse. Sunday's performance against United only recurring themes of Wirtz's season: Hesitation, imprecision and a lack of influence. Patience is now running thin. By August, it will be gone altogether, and Liverpool fans will demand to see greater returns from the club’s first £100M transfer.