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The German media has offered a clear verdict on Liverpool star Florian Wirtz's time at Anfield so far since his $157 million (£116 million) transfer move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
This weekend, Gary Neville made his feelings clear on the player, questioning his physicality and suitability to play for Liverpool following the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, and he isn't the only pundit to have made similar comments. Jamie Carragher also outlined his "worry" for Wirtz just a few weeks into his Reds career.
"I thought Wirtz, in particular, it was a bad day for him," Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. "We’ve been tiptoeing around him, haven’t we, for a few months around the fact that he’s young, he’s come to a new country.
"You’re going to have to stand up soon. He’s obviously got something. He’s a really good player, technically fantastic but he’s been mauled out there by [Matheus] Nunes and by others.
"He’s been chucked around the pitch and didn’t deliver in the quality side of things. His performance was a real worry. Physically, I’d be really worried if I was Arne Slot looking at that team."
Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann was asked about Wirtz's form and said it was "normal" that things are taking time to click into place. He insisted he has no concerns about the playmaker.
And on international duty with Germany this week for matches with Luxembourg and Slovakia, the German newspaper BILD has addressed the criticism that Wirtz has received.
It says there is "no need to feel sorry" for the 22-year-old because his "quality and mentality are outstanding."
It also points out that Neville, as a former Manchester United player, is not likely to be positive about his move.
"I always speak to Flo, regardless of his situation," Nagelsmann said during a press conference. "It’s a very complex and difficult situation when you look at his club.
"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.
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"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.
"We can see that a lot of players struggle when they move to another club where there have been many changes. In the end, I can’t influence his performances at Liverpool.
"I can only influence what he does here. I think he made steps in the right direction in October. We all know what he can do; it’s normal to have a dip in form. We’ll help and support him to keep a clear head."
Liverpool.com says: Wirtz is simply too talented for things not to work out once he finds his feet. Things could have been very different for him had his teammates finished the chances he had created, with his assists not telling the full story.
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