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Former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given has backed Florian Wirtz to show his true quality at Liverpool soon after a slow start at Anfield.
Wirtz is yet to score or assist since his $157 million (£116 million) move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, but he impressed against Chelsea in his last appearance, coming off the bench at half-time. The German has been backed to improve in the coming weeks, though, and he is working hard behind the scenes to get fitter and stronger.
"Alexander Isak hasn’t had a pre-season; he needs to get up to speed," Given said while working for Premier League Productions.
"Wirtz, I do like Wirtz, he’s getting a lot of stick at the minute, but there’s a diamond in there. I think he will be a top player for years to come."
The eye test points to Wirtz improving in the coming fixtures and when Isak and Mohamed Salah improve, that will help. So too will the incremental development of chemistry between the trio.
"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."
Germany legends Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm are also in agreement about Wirtz as the 22-year-old's integration in English soccer continues. Both believe, like Raum, that there is lots more to come from their fellow countryman in the next few months.
"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.
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"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."
Liverpool.com says: Wirtz is a player with world-class potential. When those around him are more up to speed, that will help him improve his goals and assists numbers and from there, he will be able to show what he is really capable of.
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