Bayern Munich chief mocked for bitter Liverpool claim after Florian Wirtz jets in

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Yet he has encountered fierce criticism since the campaign began, with the playmaker still to notch a goal or provide an assist in the Premier League.After Wirtz's sluggish beginning in England, Bayern's ex-CEO and current board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently targeted his transfer decision.READ MORE: Arne Slot sent Federico Chiesa demand as 'underwhelming' Liverpool star called outREAD MORE: Frank Lampard's opinion as Chelsea ace causes Paul Scholes and Gary Neville disagreement"I have to say honestly, in the case of Florian Wirtz, it still hurts, I feel sorry for him because I believe the player would have been better off at Bayern than at Liverpool," he told Sport Bild.DFB managing director Andreas Rettig was questioned about Rummenigge's observations after the Germany squad assembled for the October international break.And he couldn't help but cheekily ridicule the Bayern icon following his acrimonious comments, before declaring he harbours no doubts that Wirtz will demonstrate his ability at Liverpool. "From a club representative's perspective, I can understand the statement about one of Germany's best players, if he didn't join his own club," he told reporters, including BILD and WELT."We shed a tear for him.

With a player of his quality, no one can seriously say he won't prevail."Rettig isn't the first German national team official to have backed Wirtz in recent weeks, with sporting director Rudi Voller blaming the playmaker's struggles at Anfield on his new teammates as he continues adapting to English football."The big difference is: at Bayer Leverkusen, despite the individual quality of the other players, he was always looked for," Voller said on Sky90. Even as a young guy, he was already the chief."I deliberately watched some Liverpool games with him: he does an incredible amount of work, runs a lot, makes many sprints, and also goes deep."But he isn't played in the way he was used to at Leverkusen or with the national team.

Florian isn't like that."He's not only an extraordinary footballer, he also has a great character. "Florian shouldn't let himself get carried away," he said."I have no concerns about that: He'll show the English what he's made of.