It'll be Wirtz it... German golden boy will come good despite tough start

MCATEER THINKS REDS NEW BOY NEEDS MORE TIME

- By PAUL WHEELOCK

Florian Wirtz during training with Germany yesterday

(MAJA HITIJ)

T comes with the territory when you are the golden boy of German football and have a £116million price tag around your neck.

But it's safe to say the performances of Florian Wirtz following his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool have been the subject of intense scrutiny, both in his homeland and the country he now calls home.

And, sure enough, following his display in Liverpool's 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday, the 22-year-old's name has not been far from the headlines at the start of the international break.

And comments made by Wirtz's Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann certainly caught the eye. Suggesting the talented playmaker has not been helped by the form the defending Premier League champions are showing, Nagelsmann said: "To be honest, the whole situation does not make it easy for him either.

"The whole club itself is not as stable this year as it was last year. It's much harder to slip into the team now.

"If you look versus City, they were the worse team over the 90 minutes. So it is also difficult for Flo to make any real big impact.

"Ultimately, the overall situation is such that he just needs a little more time - which is normal and you see that with other players, who move to the English Premier League as well."

It's a view shared by former Liverpool favourite Jason McAteer, who is convinced the criticism is impacting Wirtz, who has looked excellent in the Champions League but has yet to find his feet in the faster and more physical English top flight.