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Liverpool faced AC Milan on Saturday as they continued their pre-season schedule.

The Reds have been stepping up their preparations for the new campaign in the heat of Hong Kong, and played a much anticipated friendly against Milan at the Kai Tak Stadium.

Arne Slot made some interesting decisions with his team selection, as the likes of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were left out amid transfer speculation.

Wataru Endo missed out through illness, while Joe Gomez flew home to Merseyside after picking up an achilles injury.

There was still plenty of intrigue for those players out on the pitch, though, with most of the excitement stemming from Florian Wirtz playing in a Liverpool shirt for the first time in front of fans.

Wirtz started in a false nine role alongside Harvey Elliott, and it didn’t take long before the German was getting people off their seats.

Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Fans were very disappointed not to be able to see Wirtz in action against Preston two weeks ago.

However, it soon became clear against Milan that the 22-year-old was going to be worth the wait.

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Commentating for LFCTV, former Liverpool defender Gary Gillespie explained what was seriously impressing him about Wirtz barely half an hour into the game.

“I know it’s just pre-season, but this more or less the first time I’ve seen Wirtz,” said Gillespie.

I’ve been very, very impressed with the vision and the awareness and technical ability that he has.”

Accurate PassesTouchesSuccessful DribblesTouches in Opposition BoxPasses into Final ThirdAccurate CrossesFlorian Wirtz vs AC Milan29/32361/2211

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“In the tight areas Liverpool struggled at times to break sides down last season, when they were getting players behind the ball.

“It’s very difficult to operate in the little pockets of space, but they look as if they’ve found someone who can operate in those spaces and create things, not just for himself but for his teammates as well.”

When teams pay such big fees on players, they often do not work out in quite the way hoped for.

There is no guarantee that Wirtz will not find himself lumped into that disappointing category as time goes on.

But, for the time being, it would be a shock if he did.

The Germany international really was impressive against Milan.

He may not have got on the scoresheet, but Wirtz was at the heart of most of the good things Liverpool did.

His link-up play with Mohamed Salah was incredibly encouraging, while his ability to drop deeper and rotate with the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai was also brilliant to see.

There’s so much more to come from Wirtz, but as a first sighting, this couldn’t have gone too much better.
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