Florian Wirtz has already told Liverpool where to play him as he makes 'sad' claim about transfer

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Echo or go back to LFC Live.

Florian Wirtz is still adapting to English football following his £116m move to Liverpool from Bayer LeverkusenFlorian Wirtz is yet to produce his best form for Liverpool, but the German has hinted what needs to happen for that to change. The playmaker is yet to return a goal contribution in the Premier League since joining the Reds in an £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.As a result, he has been the subject of intense scrutiny with a plethora of pundits piling in to have their say on his performances.With the reigning Premier League champions also not at their best, having lost their last three matches prior to the October international break, critiques have only grown.READ MORE: What Florian Wirtz is doing in training speaks volumes amid Liverpool strugglesREAD MORE: Federico Chiesa strong message sent as Arne Slot told to stop picking 'underwhelming' Liverpool manArne Slot’s usage of the 22-year-old has also prompted much debate, though the wider footballing community are not in agreement when it comes to discussing where Wirtz should play.The midfielder has primarily played at No.10 during his Liverpool career to date, but has also been fielded on the left-wing on a couple of occasions - including unsuccessfully in the Reds' defeat to Crystal Palace.For those keeping track of the hordes of pundits debating Wirtz’s role, you will find a relatively even split between those insisting he has to play at No.10 and those adamant he should be utilised on the left-wing instead.Evidently, in such circumstances before performances pick up, Slot and Wirtz cannot win.But the German does at least have his own answer when it comes to his favourite position.Sorry to disappoint those who want to see the 22-year-old line up on the left in place of Cody Gakpo, but he has made it abundantly clear that his favoured position is a central one.Wirtz recently sat down with Sky Sports for a special feature interview, as he reacted to video messages from his loved ones about his journey so far prior to his move to Liverpool.Two of his former FC Koln youth coaches, Martin Heck and Markus Daun, both took part in the feature, with Wirtz crediting them both for the role they played in his career.And having won the German Championship with Koln Under-17s in 2019 under Heck’s stewardship, Wirtz opened up on how both coaches helped get the best out of him."He [Heck] was just always there for us, motivated us, especially for me," he recalled.

"He gave me the freedom on the pitch."He put me in the position where I have to be, like behind the striker on the No.10 and just gave me the freedom."Marcus was the same. There I was even captain in the second year in the under-17s."They were coaches that gave me the confidence that I need, that I can just play my own game and be the best version of myself."Meanwhile, in one of Daun’s video contributions, the coach lifted the lid on one meeting he once held with Wirtz and how it only reiterated his belief that his compatriot was destined for the very top.“I asked him in a meeting about his career goals,” Daun recalled.

“All the guys from the team said, ‘Oh, I will be German championship winner this year and I will be in the starting XI.’“Florian said: ‘I will win the Ballon d’Or in the future.’ And I said, ‘okay’.“Normally I would say, ‘Okay, please stay realistic,’ but in this case I said, ‘Okay, go your way and you can achieve it!’“I knew from the beginning that he will go his way until the top of the world.”Wirtz would offer his only take on his Ballon d’Or dreams, admitting with a chuckle: “I was saying this every day when I was younger!”Elsewhere in the feature, Wirtz also offered a possible hint behind one of his reasons for choosing Liverpool over a switch to Bayern Munich, as he stressed how important it had been for him to leave Leverkusen on the best of terms.“I'm really happy about this (that I left Leverkusen on good terms),” he admitted. In the end, we talked and were trustful and straight to each other to make the best possible thing for the move.“Everyone was happy in the end and that's what really matters for me and I'm really happy about this.”