“I don’t know if he is happy here”: Former star sends message over interest in Liverpool underperformer

The former midfielder pointed to the quality of Wirtz’s passing, suggesting that his creative contributions have not always been reflected in the final statistics. He also argued that the transfer fee has influenced how supporters judge the player’s performances.

Smicer said via TEAMtalk: “Florian Wirtz’s future? That’s a tough one.

“It’s important to know how Florian is feeling about his time at Liverpool and the Premier League.

“I don’t know if he is happy here but I believe he can still unlock something and still do well for Liverpool.

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“He is still very young and would like to see him play well for Liverpool and stay at the club for another few years so for me, at the moment, I wouldn’t sell him to Bayern Munich or anybody else.

“He has more inside him and I think he will probably show it for Liverpool because he’s already been unlucky with some of his passes and other players not scoring goals.

“He is not underachieving if those great passes became assists.

“Some people are expecting a little too much from him, and I think some people are still seeing the fee that Liverpool paid for him rather than the player, and that’s the problem.

“It was the same with Paul Pogba at Manchester United.”

For Liverpool, retaining faith in Wirtz could prove important as the club seeks greater consistency from its attacking options. The midfielder has shown his ability to influence games during his career, although adapting to the demands of the Premier League can take time.