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Arne Slot has urged patience on Florian Wirtz after a mixed start to life at Liverpool, comparing his situation to Kevin De Bruyne's at the same age.
Wirtz is yet to score or assist for Liverpool since making the transfer move from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee that could reach $157 million (£116 million), including add-ons. However, he has shown what he can do in moments and made a big difference when he was introduced off the bench against Chelsea before the international break.
"Maybe I’m now underestimating the best midfielder who has ever played in the Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne — he was 21 or 22 when he went to Chelsea," Slot said in an interview with Sky Sports.
"Give [Wirtz] a bit of time, I would say. I’m definitely going to give him a bit of time, and in the meantime, he’s been unlucky.
"He has to play, and he’s played a lot. Because he’s come from a different league and played so many games, it’s quite normal that once in a while he needs a game where he doesn’t play like I’ve done with Mo Salah and many others.
"To get the best out of him, it’s of course necessary for him to play and that’s what he did and what he’s going to do in the upcoming weeks."
Wirtz could start against Manchester United on Sunday and will then face a familiar opponent in the Champions League midweek with a return to Germany as the Reds take on Eintracht Frankfurt.
He admitted himself last month that he was still in need of more work in the gym to make himself stronger and more able to match the demands of the English game.
"If you’ve been brought in for so much money, people look mainly at goals and assists, but I can tell you he could be on six or seven assists already," Slot said.
"If you look at the passes he’s played to his teammates which unfortunately didn’t lead to goals, one of the greatest examples is the Chelsea game where after one minute [since coming on] he had this great flick to Mo Salah.
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"For Mo, this is 99 times out of 100 a goal. I have to say 98 out of 100 because the last time he got a ball like this was against Atletico Madrid from Florian Wirtz, but Mo hit the post.
"He’s been a bit unlucky with the finishing when he’s given his teammates chances but in general for a 22-year-old, it’s quite normal that you have to adjust to going to another country, let alone going to the Premier League."
Liverpool.com says: Wirtz is far too talented not to work at Anfield at some point. It might take some time, but there have been flashes of his quality. Better finishing from his teammates and the German would already have a couple of assists to his name.
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