'Eventually' Florian Wirtz addresses Liverpool difficulties after slow start in Premier League

Florian Wirtz’s £116 million move to Liverpool was the first of two nine-figure deals struck by the Premier League champions this summer.

The 22-year-old had been a long-term target of rivals Manchester City, but Arne Slot’s men were able to move quickly this summer and snap up the German playmaker from Bayer Leverkusen, shortly after his former team-mate Jeremie Frimpong made the same move.

As you’d expect, Wirtz came straight into the Reds line-up and has started all three Premier League games, plus the Community Shield.

Florian Wirtz on the wait for his first Liverpool goal

Wirtz netted 34 times over the past two seasons for Leverkusen, but has yet to open his Liverpool account and so far has just one assist, which came in the Community Shield defeat on penalties to Crystal Palace.

He did, however, find the back of the net for Germany against Northern Ireland on Sunday, when he scored his side’s final goal in a 3-1 World Cup qualifier victory.

Following that win, Wirtz was asked when he thought his first goal may come for Liverpool.

"It might take a few more games,” he told RTL. “It's a different league, a different kind of football.

“When will I score for the first time? I have no idea, hopefully in the next game. It will come eventually."

Wirtz also discussed his free-kick goal, which saw Germany skipper Joshua Kimmich approach him and tell him something before he took it.

“To be honest, I don’t know,” Wirtz admitted. “There were too many comments, random ideas from the side. I knew I just wanted to try it because the position was good.”

That was Germany’s only game of the current international break, meaning Wirtz now has plenty of time to prepare for Liverpool’s next match, which is a trip to Burnley on Sunday, which kickstarts a busy week for the Reds, who begin their Champions League campaign by hosting Atletico Madrid the following Wednesday, before a Saturday lunchtime Merseyside derby at Anfield.