Florian Wirtz agreement reached as German verdict on Liverpool clear — 'Everyone knows'

As long as it doesn't lose against Slovakia on Monday, Florian Wirtz's Germany will be heading to the World Cup next summer without the need for a play-off tie.

While Jamal Musiala is likely to be back by the time the tournament kicks off, the Liverpool ace is expected to be a central part of Julian Nagelsmann's team in the US, Canada and Mexico — and not without good reason.

Before he signed for Liverpool, Wirtz provided 122 goal contributions in 197 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen. That record would be impressive enough even before you factor in that he left at the age of 22.

In the early part of his Liverpool career, the numbers are yet to flow. Wirtz hasn't hit the ground running like, say, Mohamed Salah did when he came in from AS Roma.

Wirtz's start has been closer to the arrival of Ryan Gravenberch — another young player from the Bundesliga — who needed a little more time to adapt. Once he was up to speed, though, the Dutchman became a world-class number six.

There have been flashes from Wirtz. Quite easily, he could have had a handful of assists for Liverpool had his teammates' finishing been better. And in time, there is no concern about his suitability for playing in England.

"The general consensus in Germany is that Wirtz is simply too talented not to succeed in the Premier League sooner or later," Rune Gjerulff from Bulinews tells Liverpool.com.

"There has been very little criticism of him within Germany. Most agree that it's only natural he needs time to settle in — he's adapting to a new league, a new culture and a different role at Liverpool. At Bayer Leverkusen, he was always the main attacking focal point.

"It has also been pointed out — most recently by Germany coach Nagelsmann — that Liverpool's general struggles this season have not made things any easier for him."

Indeed, while the rest of the attacking unit has misfired for one reason or another, it would be unfair to blame Wirtz for not cementing it all together. He is, as mentioned, still very young.

He has also never played at a club with such high expectations or had to perform under the spotlight of commanding one of the biggest transfer fees of all time.

"The view in Germany is a mixed one," German soccer writer Jamie Allen says. "Everyone knows how good Wirtz is and his ability to light up the pitch.

"The general consensus is that he hasn’t quite done that at Liverpool just yet, but will do in time. Liverpool as a club has had a rocky start, which wouldn’t have helped Wirtz in terms of settling in.

"But there’s no question that he’ll only get better and become a key player for Liverpool once he finds his position and settles into new surroundings."

It is a sentiment that Germany boss Nagelsmann echoed earlier this week, ahead of his side's game with Luxembourg. "It’s a very complex and difficult situation when you look at his club," he said.

"Last year, they won the Premier League and played very attractive football. This year a few players left them, and they invested a lot of money on new players.

"So the entire mix is very complex — each of the five attacking players wants to be the 'star player'. This situation doesn’t make it easy for Flo because the entire club is not as stable as they were last season.

"I watched the game against Manchester City and they were the worst team over 90 minutes. It’s not easy for Flo to make his mark in such a situation."

When he returns from international duty, though, Wirtz should have a better chance of showing his true worth. Liverpool has Nottingham Forest first, and then the likes of West Ham, Sunderland, Leeds and Wolves.

In those conditions, it should — in theory at least — be a lot easier for Wirtz to stamp his mark on things. Even if it takes a little longer, the prevailing sentiment in Germany is that this is a talent too great not to succeed.

Following his debut campaign at Anfield, the hope is that Wirtz will spearhead his country's hopes at the World Cup.

It is probably a good job, then, that he is currently getting used to performing under a level of pressure and scrutiny he has never faced before.

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