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Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz, who was signed for a fee that could reach $157 million (£116 million) including add-ons, doesn't make Arne Slot's best team at the moment, according to the former Chelsea player Tony Cascarino.
The soccer pundit and Liverpool fan has been unimpressed by what Wirtz has shown in the small sample size to date. Last week, WIrtz himself said that he wasn't worried about his form and that he is still adjusting to a new league.
"He played on the left yesterday, and they’re trying to shoehorn him into the team," Cascarino said on talkSPORT. "I think he’s better as a No.10, but he hasn’t played particularly well yet.
"We all know he’s a talent, but every week that goes by and he hasn’t found his feet or looks like he’s getting brighter... He’s actually gone backwards since the start of the season.
"I thought in the Community Shield, he probably played his best game so far for Liverpool, which he had an impact in. It’s early days and I’m not going after him, but I’m concerned by his performance because it’s not been good."
Wirtz is likely to feature in both games this week as Liverpool plays Galatasaray in the Champions League and then Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
But Cascarino believes that his place in the starting XI could be in jeopardy as a result of his slow start to life in England.
"Well, not under current form," Cascarino said when asked if he is in Liverpool's best team.
"He’s not played well enough to actually be in the starting line-up, I don’t see that at all...
"But whether it’s when he was in Germany playing, he had slightly more time. He keeps getting caught on the ball, he’s trying intricate passes, and they’re not coming off."
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Wirtz has played six games for Liverpool so far in the Premier League. Last season, he scored 16 goals and created another 15 for Bayer Leverkusen in all competitions.
Liverpool.com says: Wirtz was really trying to create against Crystal Palace, but it didn't work with him on the left wing (though he wasn't staying there for long, drifting inside and popping up all over the place).
He needs a run of matches in the central position that he has been bought to play, in a team where those around him are playing well. Without Cody Gakpo and with Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak misfiring, he was lost.
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