‘How long’: Carragher makes Wirtz and Thierry Henry comparison due to worries over Liverpool start

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Florian Wirtz is still yet to prove to Liverpool fans why he was brought in for such a high transfer fee.The Reds are enduring a really worrying period right under Arne Slot, with four losses in a row leaving the Dutchman with plenty to think about.Wirtz is just one player causing him a headache, with the German still yet to find his feet, which has led to him starting on the bench a few times already.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. This is, of course, far from ideal given that he was signed for £116m, but Slot will have felt that he had no choice given how much he has struggled in the early stages.This has left many fans worried about how good he actually is and Jamie Carragher has his suspicions too, with the scouser even addressing those comparing his start to Thierry Henry’s at Arsenal.Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesJamie Carragher believes Florian Wirtz might not be a ‘great’ playerBefore he arrived, the hype surrounding Wirtz was simply unavoidable, with everyone in Germany raving about just how good he is.This left Liverpool fans hugely excited upon arrival, although this emotion has quickly faded into disappointment.

Some fans remain positive, though, with the 22-year-old even being compared to someone like Henry, as even he failed to score in his first eight Arsenal games.However, Carragher has rubbished this opinion, questioning whether he truly is as good as he was made out to be.“How long do you give foreign players when they first come to the league? You don’t write the first year off but you say the second year they’ll improve and get better,” he told Sky Sports.“But, if I’m being honest, if I think of the great foreign signings – Sami Hyppia, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Luis Suarez, Didi Hamann – they all hit the ground running.“I can’t think of many, who had an average, poor start – I’m not talking seven games by the way but if you’re getting to Christmas and January and being like ‘oh’.

READ MORE: Alexander Isak backed to emulate Fernando Torres at Liverpool – and not in a good way“History doesn’t tell me that foreign signings coming into England take a year. People always say Thierry Henry and that’s nonsense, he scored 25 goals in his first year at Arsenal.”Florian Wirtz was good when he came on vs Man UnitedWirtz started on the bench for the second game running when Liverpool hosted Man United, a choice that raised a few eyebrows.He eventually came on just after the hour mark, and when he did, he certainly tried his very best to dictate the game.He created three chances in the second half, more than anyone despite playing just 28 minutes, proving just how creative he can be.He is almost nailed on to start in the Champions League due to not starting in the last two, with this game against familiar opposition perhaps his best chance to kick-start his Liverpool career.