'Wirtz needs time... he will be fine'

Former star Hamman reassures fans record signing will come good despite slow start

- By IAN DOYLE

LIVERPOOL supporters have been told not to worry about Florian Wirtz despite a slow start to his Anfield career.

Wirtz became the most expensive signing in the club's history when he turned down approaches from Manchester City and Bayern Munich to move to the Reds from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116million deal during the summer.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder contributed an assist on his competitive debut in the Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace but has yet to feature for a full 90 minutes as he adjusts to the intensity of the Premier League.

Wirtz attracted criticism in Germany as one of several key players to underperform during their shock 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Slovakia on Thursday.

But former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann - who made a similar switch from the Bundesliga to the Premier League - is convinced his compatriot will soon start realising his potential at Anfield.