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Jürgen Klopp has described Florian Wirtz as a once-in-a-century talent amid continued scrutiny over his slow start to life at Liverpool.
The former Reds boss admits his old club are in an unusual run of poor form but insists he has no doubts over their £116.5million star.
Wirtz has found himself under the microscope since he arrived at Anfield in June for what was then a British record transfer fee.
Prior to Liverpool’s £125m capture of Alexander Isak on deadline day, Wirtz was the face of the club’s eventual £446m summer splurge.
Two months into the season, the ex-Bayer Leverkusen star has endured criticism that he’s been shoehorned into the Liverpool team.
The German hasn’t scored or assisted in any of his Premier League or Champions League appearances in what has been a dull run of form.
The 22-year-old was harshly dubbed by fans as ‘the worst ever Premier League signing’, while facing widespread mockery online.
Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge even claimed that Wirtz would have been ‘better off’ joining the club than Liverpool.
Jürgen Klopp defends Florian Wirtz
Klopp has dismissed concerns over Wirtz’s form and insisted that criticism of his compatriot are being blown out of proportion.
“I don’t have to worry about Florian Wirtz because his quality is so outstanding,” Klopp told RTL and n-tv.
“Of course, everything’s fine, and everyone knows that. The discussion [around him] is certainly being blown out of proportion.
Wirtz is a once-in-a-century talent
Klopp added: “Liverpool have just lost three games in a row – it’s unusual for something like that to happen after such a long time. But it’s also normal in life.
“That’s why these things are being discussed. I’ve been in the middle of such discussions long enough now, and I can tell you: Nothing could interest people less than the public discussions that are taking place there. So it doesn’t matter, and everything will be fine.”
Klopp went on to tell fans not to worry about ‘a once-in-a-century talent’ who will ‘show that in every game again, as he did at Leverkusen’.
Wirtz has ‘a stable environment in Liverpool and the club is great in moments like these,’ he added.
Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer said: “If anyone is worried – you don’t have to! You can stop doing that.”
Wirtz’s struggles didn’t prevent the playmaker from playing the full 90 minutes for his country in Germany’s 4-0 win over Luxembourg.
He hit the post from a free-kick but failed to end his wait for a goal contribution, and Julian Nagelsmann launched a firm defence over his star man’s performances afterwards.
“Even if he hasn’t scored a goal, he’s the player who creates the most chances in the Premier League,” the German told Sport 1.
“It’s not his fault if his team-mate doesn’t create them, and the statistic isn’t even a third of the truth. He simply has to get used to the league.
“I’ve seen him feel completely liberated. He knows what he’s capable of and how things work. Not everything has always been handed to him – he’ll work hard now, too.”
