Jurgen Klopp convinced Florian Wirtz will blossom into "standout player"

Jurgen Klopp is convinced Florian Wirtz will develop into a “standout player” as he sent a message to his former Liverpool FC squad ahead of the World Cup.

The former Anfield boss has long admired Wirtz, who joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for £116 million last summer to work under Arne Slot.

The 22-year-old has endured an inconsistent debut season but impressed in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace, scoring once and assisting another.

Florian Wirtz is expected to play a key role for Germany national football team at the upcoming World Cup, as they aim to progress beyond the group stage for the first time since their 2014 triumph.

Klopp said: “I hope Flo Wirtz will have a fantastic, fantastic World Cup. I think he has everything you need to be a standout player.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on the boy. I really think he showed already how good he can be in a difficult season.”

Klopp, now head of global football at Red Bull GmbH, will attend the World Cup in North America as a pundit for German television and a global ambassador for Budweiser.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Klopp said he hopes his former Liverpool FC players enjoy a successful tournament.

“I hope my players will have a great World Cup,” he added. “I hope that Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker can enjoy that when they meet each other.

“Can you imagine that you play together for such a long time and Scotland qualifies first time, I don’t know, since when, for the World Cup, and you meet each other, your friends, your mutual friends, and you meet each other in a game like that? I mean, that must be one of the happiest moments in your life.

“I wish Virgil (van Dijk) will have a great tournament. I really wish for Mo (Salah) that he will have a great tournament. I honestly wish that Sadio (Mane) will have a great tournament. Macca (Alexis Mac Allister), if he won, if they win it again. It was so nice to see him with a medal around his neck and when he came back to Brighton.

“So many (of my) former players are part of the World Cup, which is really, really nice. And to see how time flies.”