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Alan Shearer has backed Florian Wirtz to find his feet at Liverpool, insisting that it is just a matter of time before the summer signing begins to show his ability.
Wirtz has had a tough start to life on Merseyside since his record-breaking move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer. Having arrived with big expectations, the 22-year-old has managed just one assist in 10 appearances for the Reds, and hasn’t made a goal contribution since the Community Shield in August.
Concerns have been raised about his place in Arne Slot’s team, with the Liverpool boss having not yet found a way to get the best out of Wirtz, with the Reds having lost their last three games after their summer overhaul.
The international break didn’t offer Wirtz much respite either, despite Germany strengthening its hopes of qualifying for the World Cup with back-to-back wins over Luxembourg and Northern Ireland.
The forward was underwhelming in both games, raising more questions about his form following his move to Liverpool, although Shearer believes he will come good for the Reds.
“I've experienced not being able to score for the national team and I've obviously been on the side of not being able to score at club level too,” the former Newcastle and England striker told Betfair.
“I understand what Wirtz is going through. There's only one way you can change things and silence people being negative and that's to put the ball in the back of the net.
“I do think Wirtz is a quality player and it's only a matter of time before he performs to his best. He's one of a number of players that are struggling for Liverpool.
“Wirtz is too good for his time at Liverpool to go wrong. He's got great ability - I've seen that for myself when I've commentated on games and watched him live. It's only a matter of time before we see the best of him.”
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Drawing on his own experiences as a player, Shearer added: “Don't forget, I went nearly two years without scoring for England. When you consider the amazing talent we had at center-forward and the criticism I was getting for not scoring - it was huge.
“When I went back to Blackburn at that time, luckily enough I was still scoring for them, so it felt a bit of a relief coming back. I get it and I understand it all. I've been in those positions, had it myself but there's only one way through it. Get your head down, score goals and it'll eventually turn.
“You've got to be mentally strong to deal with whatever is said. It's part and parcel of your life - particularly as a centre-forward. There'll always be times that you'll get criticized, it's the world we live in.
“I know there's more now because of social media and whether it's right or wrong, you have to accept that at some stage in your career, you will be criticized.”
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