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Florian Wirtz showed his class when playing for Germany on Sunday as he produced a sublime free-kick to secure victory for Die Mannschaft over Northern Ireland in World Cup qualifying.
Germany was leading 2-1 when Wirtz stepped up and stroked a beautiful effort into the top corner of Bailey Peacock-Farrell's net in Cologne.
The goal will no doubt be a welcome boost to Wirtz's confidence after a few weeks during which he has been firmly under the spotlight.
Wirtz's transfer fee was always going to mean that he would be scrutinized at Liverpool, particularly during the early weeks of his Reds career, and the questions followed him on international duty last week too, when Germany was beaten 2-0 by Slovakia in a World Cup qualifier.
The youngster was dispossessed in the build-up to Slovakia's opening goal, and rather than attempt to track back, he vented his anger in the direction of Slovakia player Ondrej Duda as he was not happy with the nature of the challenge.
The referee did not award a foul, though, and within seconds, David Hancko was putting the ball in Oliver Baumann's net.
Wirtz's performance prompted a reactionary piece by German outlet Bild, which published an article with the headline 'What's going on with Wirtz?' as well as a subheading which said 'Superstar in crisis since mega-change.'
The article said: "Since his mega-transfer to Liverpool, things haven't been going well. Wirtz hasn't impressed at either club or national team. He was supposed to lead the attack in the absence of Jamal Musiala (broken leg), but against Slovakia, he was almost invisible."
The article went on to suggest that Wirtz's struggles at international level pre-dated his summer move to Liverpool, as he endured a disappointing couple of games during the Nations League Finals.
There was also a premature suggestion that "things are faltering at Liverpool," evidenced by Wirtz's withdrawal against Arsenal with cramp.
Needless to say, the Bild article was hyperbolic in the extreme, and few Reds fans have any concerns over how the big-money signing has been performing.
Wirtz now has the best part of a week to get himself prepared for a trip to Burnley in the Premier League, and it is surely only a matter of time before he starts performing to the absolute best of his abilities for his new club — the free-kick for Germany was just a glimpse into what this generational talent is capable of.
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