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Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz has been backed to be a success in the Premier League by his former Bayer Leverkusen teammate Granit Xhaka.
Both players left the German side this summer to move to England, with Wirtz signing for Arne Slot's side for a fee that could reach $157 million (£116 million) including add-ons. While he is yet to score or assist in a competitive game for Liverpool, Xhaka is confident that the German playmaker has what it takes to prove himself as a world-class player.
Asked by Sky Sports to rank Wirtz against Bruno Fernandes and Cole Palmer in terms of how excited fans should be about watching them this season, Xhaka selected the Manchester United man at number one. But he had plenty of praise for the Liverpool ace too.
"This one is very difficult because Bruno is the most experienced player of these three," Xhaka said. "He has already shown us for many years what he can do at this level, not just in the Premier League but also for the national team.
"Even the numbers that you see in the last couple of years are unbelievable. Because I have a lot of respect for him, I will put Bruno first.
"Between Palmer and Flo, with Flo I had the joy to be with him for two years. A lot of English people will enjoy him because he is unbelievable.
"Not just with the ball but also his work without the ball, I didn't see many number 10s of his level.
"Being this age, 20 or 21, you have this mentality to put in the work day by day, before and after training, to be angry if you don't win in a training session — this is Wirtz.
"I saw him for two years. I have a lot of respect for Palmer as well but I was with Wirtz for two years and I know how much he can bring to the Premier League — hopefully not against Sunderland. I wish him all the best because he deserves that."
"The boy is hard-working, shows energy on and off the pitch," German teammate David Raum said this week.
"He was one of the players on the pitch the longest again today. We believe in the boy, and we’re building him up here. But he knows what he’s capable of."
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Germany legends Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm are also in agreement about Wirtz as the 22-year-old's integration in English soccer continues.
"We have to give the players a bit of time," Schweinsteiger said, via RTL. "Especially when you move from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, you also have to adjust a bit.
"I've experienced that myself. He will delight us all in the future. Florian Wirtz is a fantastic footballer, a great character. We should be happy that we have such a player in Germany."
"I'm not worried about Florian Wirtz at all because he's such an outstanding, brilliant player who simply makes his teammates better," Lahm added. "Quality and class always prevail, and that will absolutely be the case with Florian Wirtz."
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