Liverpool have only played one game so far this season, but Gary Neville has already revealed his frustrations with one star, with patience starting to wear thin
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City
Gary Neville has spoken about Liverpool after the draw with Newcastle United(Image: (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images))
Gary Neville has revealed his frustrations with Liverpool star Florian Wirtz after the playmaker's opening match of the Premier League campaign against Newcastle.
The German international signed for the Reds last summer for an astonishing $133 million, which matched much of the quality and potential he showed during his time at Bayer Leverkusen. With 57 goals and 65 assists for the Bundesliga outfit in 197 appearances, there was a belief that he could help unlock the Liverpool attack and bring the team into a new era of dominance.
That idea hasn't quite come to fruition, however, as Wirtz took some time to adjust to the Premier League as soon as he joined the club.
READ MORE: Ex-Liverpool star says Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak may force Andoni Iraola tactical change
There was a glimpse of the 23-year-old's quality around December and January of last season, with a few goals and assists, but that momentum was quickly broken up by an injury.
With seven goals and 10 assists across 49 appearances for Liverpool, there is hope that Wirtz can eventually show why the Merseyside outfit paid such a huge fee to bring him to the club.
However, the early signs of the new campaign have not given much life to that hope, after he yet again struggled to make an impact in the opening-day clash with Newcastle.
For Neville, there is a feeling that there needs to be much more from Wirtz in these kinds of games, as he said on The Gary Neville Podcast: "I don’t see the tenacity in Wirtz in particular.
"I just see a nice player moving around the pitch, not really ever looking like he’s busting a gut to do anything.
“Now that can happen. Sometimes players have that flow about them, but I want to put a rocket up him. I want to put a rocket up him because there’s ability there, there’s talent there, the understanding of his position.”
Jamie Carragher has warned that this season is make-or-break for Liverpool star Florian Wirtz.
Jamie Carragher has warned that this season is make-or-break for Liverpool star Florian Wirtz.(Image: Getty Images)
“Wirtz, he needs to sort himself out," he continued. "Enough is enough now; we’ve talked about him enough. He’s young, and he’s come to a different country, and I’m all for willing him on.
“I can see a real player there, but I can’t keep watching this stuff. He’s been subbed after an hour, and they need a goal, but they’re 2-1 down, so that’s not right.”
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It sums up yet another frustrating afternoon for the playmaker, who will be looking to make a much larger impact over the course of the season.
Wirtz, along with the likes of Alexander Isak, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong, who all signed last season, were disappointing in the previous campaign and will equally be looking to have a much larger say in how the Reds compete over the course of the season.
It shows the scale of the task that Andoni Iraola has inherited, with it now being his job to find a solution.