Florian Wirtz says he’s literally playing with one his Liverpool idols growing up

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Florian Wirtz has admitted that he is playing alongside one of his childhood idols at Liverpool.

The German has dominated the headlines since completing a blockbuster £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

Arne Slot dropped Wirtz for the Merseyside derby as he has been the subject of intense scrutiny for his underwhelming performances at Anfield.

Indeed, Wirtz has become a problem for Liverpool, and while he is not the only summer signing to have struggled this season, he has certainly been labelled as the main scapegoat.

It will, of course, take time for the midfielder to adjust to life in English football, but for the time being, he is training alongside one of his idols at the AXA Training Centre.

Florian Wirtz idolised Liverpool star Mohamed Salah

The midfielder appeared in an interview with AXA UK, alongside teammate Jeremie Frimpong, and revealed which Liverpool players he looked up to in his early years.

“When I was really young, I didn’t watch so much football. But in the last years, it was, of course, maybe Firmino who I enjoyed watching – and Salah, Mane, this generation.”

Wirtz was then asked what it is like to train and play alongside one of his idols, Mohamed Salah: “I was expecting what I see because he’s a top professional. And of course, when you see his body on Instagram or something like this, you know he has to work as hard as he does. And yeah, also his personality – how he is with every player, how he treats everyone the same – was exactly what I was thinking. That’s what I’ve seen until now.”

Salah, like Wirtz, has found himself in the firing line this season – the Egyptian has been dubbed “terrible” despite recording three goals and three assists in seven outings.

However, Slot suggested Salah was to blame for Crystal Palace’s last-gasp winner that ended Liverpool’s perfect record across all competitions, as he was the only player not in his own penalty area to help defend the late throw-in.

The German also missed a golden opportunity to equalise at Selhurst Park as he fired his effort straight at Dean Henderson from point-blank range after a picture-perfect cross fell into his path, delivered by Dominik Szoboszlai.

It is safe to say that Wirtz has continuously struggled at Liverpool, but the 22-year-old will be hopeful that he and his idol can soon rediscover their best form at Anfield.

Liverpool are relaxed about Florian Wirtz’s form

Although the German is starting to become a serious cause of concern among the Liverpool faithful, those within Anfield remain relaxed about his performances.

Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano recently shared on his YouTube channel that Slot has no intention of dropping Wirtz, despite the widespread opinion that he should do so.

“I wanted to mention the situation of Florian Wirtz. I’m getting some questions from Liverpool fans, football fans in general, on how is the Liverpool feeling on him.

“Liverpool remain very calm, very confident and very optimistic. They know that Florian Wirtz is not this player we’re seeing in the opening weeks of the Premier League, he might need some time to adapt to a new league, new life in football in England. But they have zero doubts on Florian Wirtz.

“They see how he is training, they see how serious he is, hard worker. Liverpool maintain their absolute confidence in Wirtz. They will keep protecting him, playing him for sure. Arne Slot has no intention to change.

“The start was not the one expected, but Arne Slot is talking directly to him almost on a daily basis to try to support him in the best way possible. They are convinced it’s just a matter of time before we see the real Florian Wirtz.”