Arne Slot claims Florian Wirtz’s adjustment to Liverpool is understandable given the step up from the Bundesliga.
The Reds boss believes Wirtz can look to Ryan Gravenberch as inspiration after his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Wirtz, who joined for a fee potentially rising to £116m, is yet to score or assist in the league but came off the bench as Liverpool beat Aston Villa on Saturday.
Arne Slot is happy with his contributions so far and expects the midfielder to eventually succeed at Anfield.
“You can say he [has only] started one of the last four but you can also say he’s started eight, nine, 10 or 11 already this season,” Slot said.
“I’ve said this quite a lot, it is not being used as an excuse but just how it is, many times we have to play three games in seven days with only two days’ rest in between.
“For a player who comes from a different league – which is a very good league by the way – nine out of 10 people would agree the Premier League is a bit more intense, especially in all the games.
“If you look at that then he already played a lot.
“He has had his impact in a lot of games but has been unlucky with the end product either by himself or his team-mates.
“For me, he exactly brought what we expected, a player who created a lot for the team.
“He will have his goals but I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anyone that if you’re 22 or 23 and come to a different league that you might need some time to adjust to that intensity if you play every three days, with only two days’ rest in between.
“Before, Ryan Gravenberch was sitting here (in the press conference) and it took him a while to adjust to the intensity, maybe even longer than it is going to take Florian.”
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