Virgil van Dijk says no-one at Liverpool FC is panicking about Florian Wirtz’s start to his Premier League career – insisting it will take time to adjust to England’s top tier.
Premier League champions Liverpool signed Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer for £116million after some dazzling displays in the German Bundesliga.
Many Fantasy Football managers selected the 22-year-old playmaker, expecting him to revel in the Reds’ attacking machine.
But Wirtz has yet to register a goal or an assist for Arne Slot’s troops – and seems to be struggling to find his place in the Dutchman’s system.
Super Sunday sizzler
The season is only seven games old, however, and this weekend sees Ruben Amorim bring Manchester United to Anfield for a 4.30pm Super Sunday showdown.
Whether Wirtz gets the nod for a starting role against the Red Devils remains to be seen.
But Liverpool captain Van Dijk says the club are ignoring any media talk about Wirtz, saying they are willing to give him time to adjust to the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
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Able to excel
The Dutch defender told Sky Sports: “The main thing is when new players are coming in, as when I came in for a lot of money, is that you feel welcomed, you feel calm, your home situation is sorted, your family is happy. If that is good, then you’ll be able to excel.
“On top of that, in any profession, you need a bit of time to adjust, to get to know your colleagues, what they like to do, and also the demands of the Premier League and being at Liverpool. It’s absolutely normal.
“We live in a world where it’s difficult to get time from the outside world, but as long as we, and Liverpool, are looking at the way I’m looking at it, that we want to improve, then I’ll be absolutely fine.
New signings have added quality
“I don’t think it’s good to focus purely on Florian in this case. The quality that he, Alexander [Isak], Hugo [Ekitike], Milos [Kerkez] has, there is no doubt about that.
“It’s just about being together, improving and being successful. Every day that goes by in training or the games is another opportunity to get close together.”
Slot’s Reds will be hoping to get back on track after three successive defeats to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea.
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Top Gunners
That dip in form has allowed Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to take top spot in the league, but the Reds are only one point behind the Gunners in second place.
Slot also feels there is more to come from Wirtz as the season unfolds, saying he has been unlucky not to have any goal involvements to his name so far this season.
The Liverpool boss told a press conference: “If you’ve been brought in for so much money, people look mainly at goals and assists, but I can tell you he could be on six or seven assists already.
“If you look at the passes he’s played to his team-mates which unfortunately didn’t lead to goals, one of the greatest examples is the Chelsea game where after one minute [since coming on] he had this great flick to Mo Salah.
“For Mo, this is 99 times out of 100 a goal. I have to say 98 out of 100 because the last time he got a ball like this was against Atletico Madrid from Florian Wirtz, but Mo hit the post.
“He’s been a bit unlucky with the finishing when he’s given his team-mates chances but, in general for a 22-year-old, it’s quite normal that you have to adjust to going to another country let alone going to the Premier League.”
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