Florian Wirtz names the two Liverpool players he really wants to be on the pitch with more next season

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Florian Wirtz is hoping for a better second season at Liverpool as the curtain comes down on an underwhelming debut campaign.The German has not lived up to expectations after signing for more than £100m from Bayer Leverkusen, and has become one of the symbols of a disappointing year.Along with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, Wirtz was supposed to lead Liverpool to a Premier League title defence in 2025/26. 7 is hopeful that next term will bring better fortunes.

Liverpool’s 25/26 Player of the Season: Ekitike vs Szoboszlai 👊 Credit: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/MB Media/Getty Images Wirtz wants to play more with Isak and EkitikeAlthough Liverpool have clearly been far from good enough this season, they have also been extremely unlucky with injuries.Isak missed three months with a broken leg having failed to properly get match fit during the first part of the season, while Ekitike may not play again in 2026 following an Achilles rupture in April.The Frenchman will not be back during the early part of 26/27, but Wirtz has still expressed his wish to play more alongside him – and Isak – in the future.“Injuries have definitely been a big part, especially losing Alex for so long,” the German told The Athletic.Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Andy Robertson makes confident prediction over what will happen to Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak at Liverpool“We’ve had a few guys who have been out for a long time. There were times when we didn’t have many players on the bench and we had to put players in positions that they weren’t used to.“Hopefully, everyone gets healthy and then it stays that way next season.

I’d like to play more with Alex and Hugo.”Much of whether Liverpool are able to get back to where they feel they should be will depend on Isak staying fit next season, while Ekitike’s return will be a huge boost when it finally arrives.Liverpool thought they had secured the future of their attack when signing Isak, Ekitike and Wirtz in 2025, and though they have been incredibly unlucky with how things have worked out so far, there should still be hope that all three will come good and fire together in the years ahead. Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox