Man City icon Sergio Aguero drops verdict on Florian Wirtz amid Liverpool disaster

Florian Wirtz has struggled to make an impact at Liverpool since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, but Sergio Aguero believes he will "settle" and become "vital" for the Reds.

Manchester City icon Sergio Aguero has thrown his support behind Florian Wirtz - predicting that the struggling Liverpool midfielder will become "vital" for the Reds. The 22-year-old Germany international has had a challenging start at Anfield following his £116million move from Bayer Leverkusen in June.

Despite making 16 appearances for Arne Slot's champions, Wirtz has yet to find the back of the net. Although he has provided three assists - two in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup - his inconsistent performances have not secured him a regular place in their starting XI, with Slot often swapping between him and Cody Gakpo.

However, former City striker Aguero is confident that it's only a matter of time before Wirtz hits his stride and becomes a key figure for the Reds.

Speaking to Stake, Aguero said on Wirtz: "It's hard to give advice. Players have different personalities and their adaptation times vary. Some adapt quickly and others need more time. But I have no doubt he will settle. Great players - and Wirtz is one - sooner or later settle and become vital in their teams."

Aguero's comments came shortly after ex-Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann suggested that he wouldn't be surprised if Wirtz was loaned out during the January transfer window.

"Could Florian Wirtz still leave Liverpool on loan in January? Yeah," Hamann said. "Obviously with all the help and all the protection from the club and the manager, if you bring somebody in for that amount of money, then maybe he should be the one, even though he's still very young, then maybe you expect him to turn things around.

"I don't think, the way he's playing at the moment, I'm not sure he's capable of doing that. And when I watch him sometimes, you know, thinking, has he lost belief because it is in the Premier League?

"Sometimes when I watch him when he loses possession, I'm thinking maybe it's because it's a lot quicker, a lot more physical, as if he were to say; 'I'm not sure that's for me'. I hope I'm wrong, but this is how it looks to me.

"Sometimes if it's going on for too long, you know, it's very hard to turn it around."

In addition to discussing Wirtz, Aguero also shared his thoughts on Mohamed Salah and the Egypt star's current goal drought. The 33-year-old has found the back of the net just five times in 18 appearances this season.

"Never doubt a great goal-scorer," Aguero said. "Salah has a fantastic scoring record and I'm confident he'll regain his form. I believe his performances were impacted by his team's lacklustre start to the season. And a player can't carry the entire team on his own."