'I was brought in for that': Florian Wirtz sends clear message about what position he'll play this season
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Liverpool fans will get another chance to see their team in action as they travel to face Newcastle on Monday evening.
The Reds were not totally convincing during their last outing, but still managed to record an important opening day win over Bournemouth.
While the likes of Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitike took the headlines against the Cherries, it was a quieter night for record signing Florian Wirtz.
There is huge expectation on Wirtz this season after Liverpool paid a British record fee to sign him from Bayer Leverkusen.
So far, despite some promising moments against both Crystal Palace in the Community Shield and Bournemouth last week, the German has not yet sparkled to the degree hoped.
With one week left to go in the transfer window, and the Reds less and less likely to sign a new attacker, there has been some suggestion that Wirtz could be used from the left to help provide depth to the Liverpool squad.
Slot has claimed that Wirtz is Luis Diaz’s replacement, which suggests he may spend some time playing out wide this season.
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But according to the Germany international, this was not the plan when Slot convinced him to move to Liverpool this summer.
“The discussions with Arne were very, very good from the very beginning” Wirtz told Kicker.
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“He won me over from the very first meeting.
This, combined with the structure of the team, really convinced me.
“He saw me in the number 10 position – where I play best.
And I’m trying to live up to that as best as I can.”
As well as touching on why he moved to Liverpool and where he is expecting to play this season, Wirtz also commented on his first experiences of Anfield.
The attacking midfielder has played twice at Liverpool’s home ground, with the atmosphere for the win over Bournemouth especially lively.
And it sounds as though hearing You’ll Never Walk Alone as a Liverpool player for the first time really inspired Wirtz.
“I felt it in my entire body that it was something special when you were standing in the middle of the stadium, and the whole stadium was singing this song,” he said.
“It gave you a little extra energy before the game.”
Hopefully, as Wirtz becomes more accustomed to the team and his role within it, we will start to see the very best of this special talent.