Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has lavished praise on Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz, expressing his admiration and wishing he could include the talented German in his squad.
When asked to name a player from Germany he would like to add to his team, de la Fuente was quick to respond with Wirtz:
Florian Wirtz. He’s fantastic. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a Spanish passport. I really like the way he plays.
Wirtz made the switch to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £116 million, including bonuses. Prior to his transfer, Bayern Munich showed serious interest in the midfielder, who remains on their radar as he settles in England.
However, Wirtz's first season at Anfield has been a mixed bag, and criticism surrounding his performances intensified at the start of the current campaign. Following a recent match against Bournemouth, pundit Jamie Carragher suggested he wouldn’t include the German in the starting XI for the upcoming Premier League clash against Manchester City.
Assessing Wirtz’s last outing, Carragher was blunt:
That was one of the worst displays I’ve seen from him in a Liverpool shirt.
The former Liverpool defender believes manager Andoni Iraola should consider a change in formation:
If I were Iraola, I’d be thinking hard about it. In my team, Wirtz wouldn’t start right now.
The match against Bournemouth was crucial for him. He needed to step up. He has to show something at last.
According to Carragher, Wirtz hasn’t earned his place in the starting lineup for the Manchester City match on October 11.
