Florian Wirtz given new Gary Neville motivation at Liverpool by Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher has challenged Florian Wirtz to prove Gary Neville wrong when Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield this weekend after the pundit's 'little boy' criticism earlier this season

Florian Wirtz enjoyed one of his best games since joining the Reds(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Jamie Carragher has expressed his admiration for the progress made by Florian Wirtz, urging the Liverpool midfielder to "shove those words down Gary Neville's throat" after the former Manchester United player described him as playing like a "little boy" earlier this season.

Wirtz, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga for a then British-record fee after several standout seasons, arrived with high expectations but had a slow start at Anfield.

His initial struggle to contribute goals or assists led to mounting pressure, and his performance in the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City prompted Neville to question Liverpool's handling of Wirtz, conceding that he posed a problem for Arne Slot.

The pundit commented: "Let's just call it as it is. It's an issue. He's £100m+, and to be fair, I said a few weeks ago [Milos] Kerkez looked like a little boy out there. Today I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy."

However, Wirtz has since demonstrated significant improvement and is gradually adapting to life in the Premier League, increasingly influencing matches.

With six goal involvements in his last eight appearances, Carragher has challenged the German to prove Neville wrong when Liverpool take on City in a bid for redemption this weekend.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "Wirtz is getting better all the time. Eventually, the mantle has to be passed on, and there is no doubt the lad has real quality. The Premier League has lost Kevin De Bruyne, (but) we have gained Wirtz.

Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher(Image: Marc Atkins, Getty Images)

"We are talking about special players coming into our league. I have watched him a lot and thought about whether he can get to De Bruyne's level. When I watch Wirtz, I think he could be lovely on the eye like David Silva, but he has almost a bit of both.

"I'm not sure if he will get the numbers De Bruyne got. But, talking about a slow start... one of the games was City away and Gary Neville said he looked like a boy out there - now he has City at Anfield (this weekend).

"He is confident. He has gone from a little boy, and it's a great opportunity to shove those words down Neville's throat."

Several months ago, Carragher himself harboured doubts about whether Wirtz could make the grade, having witnessed his challenging introduction to life at Liverpool.

He pointed to how some of the finest foreign signings made an immediate impact - and wasn't persuaded the German would deliver.

The 22 year old has consistently enjoyed the backing of his manager, who urged for patience during a testing period for Wirtz. His difficulties coincided with Liverpool's slump in form, but they appeared back to their brilliant best at the weekend with a 4-1 victory over Newcastle - where Wirtz contributed a goal and an assist.