Florian Wirtz told his biggest problem at Liverpool after transfer 'surprise'

Ian Wright believes Florian Wirtz has been left “surprised” by the intensity of the Premier League following his move to Liverpool, and has suggested he needs to work on his fitness in order to find his feet with the Reds.

Wirtz has endured a tough start to life on Merseyside since making the move from Bayer Leverkusen in what was a British record transfer at the time - a record that has since been taken by new teammate Alexander Isak.

The German international has failed to score in any of his eight appearances for Liverpool so far, and has only recorded one assist during the Community Shield last month.

Arne Slot’s attempts to try Wirtz out on the left wing against Crystal Palace on Saturday didn’t work out either, with the experiment brought to a swift end at half-time at Selhurst Park as the 22-year-old struggled to make any impact on the game.

That has led to increased pressure from some quarters, with Wayne Rooney even going as far as to suggest that Wirtz has been “damaging” to Liverpool since his arrival.

Wright certainly didn’t go as far in his assessment of his struggles, although the former Arsenal striker did suggest Wirtz still has plenty to work on.

“I think that when players come from the Bundesliga, as good as they are, because he’s a top quality player Florian Wirtz, they come and they’re surprised by the pace and the level you have to play at in the Premier League,” Wright told Premier League Productions’ The Weekend.

“You come here and you play against Palace, Sunderland or Leeds, and they’re tough games, you need to get to the levels, his fitness levels, his strength levels to deal with the fatigue the Premier League can put on you.”

Wright is the latest to give his thoughts on Wirtz’s struggles, with former Reds defender Jamie Carragher suggesting the issue doesn't lie solely at the German's feet.

“I think we should be analyzing someone who's cost that money, he's coming as a renowned star; Bundesliga player of the year two seasons running, won the Bundesliga, not with Bayern Munich, with Bayer Leverkusen, a seasoned international with Germany,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.

“I think it's fair to say he hasn't been great for Liverpool so far, but also I don't think Liverpool have been great to him so far. Obviously, they've got to come together and try and make it work as best as they possibly can.

“It’s faster, people are on top of him more, it's more physical. And he's just a young boy, he is trying to get to the demands of the league. There's no doubt about that.”

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