Florian Wirtz has perfect Man United inspiration as Liverpool birthday boy eyes breakthrough
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Florian Wirtz turns 23 on Sunday, and if he's looking for a stage upon which to come of age as a Liverpool player, then the 'Theatre of Dreams' might well be it.That nickname for Old Trafford may have been heard less and less during Manchester United's barren last decade-and-a-half, but visits down the East Lancs Road still take on huge significance in Liverpool circles. He had a lot of good moments and he had a big chance before the goal.
It was brilliant what he did. And what a strike it was.Coutinho squared up young United defender Guillermo Varela, breezed past him and then bore down on David de Gea's goal, but surely he wouldn't shoot from there?
As Liverpool's main man in the first iteration of Klopp's team, he would score 12 goals this season and 14 in the following one. In 2017/18, the campaign in which he joined Barcelona for a dizzying £142m, he managed 22 goals across the campaign with both of his clubs.There was a brief period where he became one of the best players in the game, and it many ways it started when he grasped that moment in Manchester.'100% sure'And so as Wirtz makes his Old Trafford bow for Liverpool, he has a perfect template to follow in the form of Coutinho, a player who grasped a big game and took it away from the Reds' rivals.After his slow start the German has seven goals and 10 assists in his maiden season in English football, but given that none of those have come against a side currently in the European places, there is a moment waiting to be written.“I don’t only hope that, I am 100% sure he will," said Arne Slot at his press conference on Friday."For me it is a coincidence, we have to play three more who are in those positions (the European places) so that gives him three more chances to do this."The development Florian has made throughout his Liverpool career, which has only been 10 months, is so clear and obvious: 93rd minute against Crystal Palace making a duel on the sideline, winning a throw-in and then making a sprint from 40 yards and hitting the ball in the top corner, that is something I am not completely convinced he could do the same eight months ago."Up to speed with the league then, and entering the highest profile fixture played within it from the start for the first time.When Liverpool faced Manchester United at Anfield in October Wirtz began the game on the bench, but if he follows Coutinho's lead then the birthday boy could be the main event of this one.