'Liverpool has got its new Philippe Coutinho, but fans need to stay patient'

Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has called for patience with Florian Wirtz, having compared the summer signing with Philippe Coutinho.

Wirtz hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to life on Merseyside following what was a record $158 million move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

The German international once again struggled to make an impact during Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Burnley on Sunday, with his tally still standing at just one assist after five appearances for his new club. Given the amount of money Arne Slot and Richard Hughes threw at his signing, the pressure has been ramped up on the 22-year-old to deliver more.

The international break didn’t offer him much respite either, with Wirtz having been criticized by the German media for his performances against Slovakia and Northern Ireland, despite scoring a brilliant free-kick against the latter.

Heskey though insists Liverpool and its fans need to be patient. Speaking to Aceodds, he said: “We’ve got to give Wirtz time.

“The Premier League is like no other. I’ve seen players come from so many leagues where they’re the best and then they struggle. You’ve got to give players time.

”I’ve watched a lot of Wirtz and he reminds me of Coutinho who finds great pockets. Wirtz just needs to get up to pace with the ferocity of the league.”

Despite Wirtz’s struggles, Liverpool has made a perfect start to its Premier League title defense, with Sunday’s win at Burnley seeing Slot’s side make it four wins out of four so far.

Once again, the Reds’ closest challenger is Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta's side looking to finally be crowned champions after three successive second-place finishes.

Heskey believes Liverpool still holds an advantage over the Gunners, although he believes there could be another challenger to the Reds’ title.

“I think Liverpool has the most balanced squad out of the title rivals,” Heskey added. “When you’re talking balance and being together for a while alongside new players gelling quickly I think Liverpool."

"Arsenal have a really good squad but have they got the players who know how to get it over the line. Go back to United and Fergie’s last team. That was a poor team but they knew how to get it done. They knew what it mentally to win the league."

"I think that’s what Liverpool have over Arsenal. But you can’t count City out because they know what it takes to win the league.”

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