Florian Wirtz problem identified as Liverpool new signing told to wait until January

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Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz has struggled for form since £116m transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in the summerLiverpool have been told the arrival of Florian Wirtz has disrupted their midfield balance - but the £116million cannot be blamed for the Reds' struggles. Arne Slot's side have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions and already stand seven points adrift of title favourites Arsenal in defence of their Premier League crown.Wirtz has had a tough start to life at Anfield since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer and has started only two of the last five Premier League matches heading into Saturday's visit of Aston Villa.And former Liverpool man Joe Cole believes Wirtz would benefit from further time on the bench although he accepts that may be a difficult call for Reds boss Slot.READ MORE: Arne Slot makes Liverpool tactics admission amid poor form - 'It does go against my beliefs'READ MORE: Arne Slot rules out two key Liverpool players for Aston Villa after confirming injury boost“Yes, Florian Wirtz’s signing has disrupted the Liverpool midfield, but not in a way that can be laid at Florian Wirtz's feet," said Cole.“There's no doubt he's a top player.

You don't play number 10 for Germany, and win the league over in the Bundesliga, and produce what he did at Bayer Leverkusen, without being quality.“We know he's quality, and he's shown it in flashes.“Don't lay the blame on the four players coming in, or the four players coming out, or the manager, it’s just a collection of everything.“In hindsight, if Liverpool could do a restart of the season, they'd have probably put one or two players into the team, and we'll keep with what we're doing, and just gradually change it, and by January, you'll start looking to get Wirtz into the squad, into the team regularly, giving the time to come off the bench.“It's all well saying that, but Slot trying to explain to the owners who just bought you a £100 million player while he's on the bench is going to be a difficult sell.“It's a collection of about three or four different things, but Wirtz is a quality player."Speaking exclusively to Paddy Power, Cole added: "Whether he's the right player for Liverpool or the Premier League, he's going to have to prove that. He can't shy away from that."There are certain players, good players, who go to clubs, and they just don't fit.“And he's had a bad start, so the spotlights on him, and he's going to have to go and, in the next year, prove that he's a Premier League footballer.”The Reds follow the game with Villa with another home clash on Tuesday when they welcome Real Madrid to Anfield in the Champions League.They then head to the Etihad to take on Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday week before the latest international break.