Ryan Gravenberch offers Liverpool a warning over Florian Wirtz they simply must listen to - opinion

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Florian Wirtz’s start to life at Liverpool has been the subject of much discussion during the early part of the season.There were sky-high expectations for the German playmaker following a move from Bayer Leverkusen which could end up costing the Reds £116m.However, although he is clearly an extremely talented footballer, Wirtz is yet to show why Liverpool paid such a princely sum to sign him.With the German struggling to adapt to the pace and intensity of the Premier League, there have been question marks growing over whether Liverpool have bought themselves an expensive dud.Liverpool still privately believe Wirtz will come good, but the worry remains that there is little room for patience in the world of top-level football.As Arne Slot continues to try and decipher the way to get the best of Wirtz, though, he and Liverpool should make sure they learn their lessons from the last three years of Ryan Gravenberch‘s career.Photo by Nikki Dyer – LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesFlorian Wirtz can follow Ryan Gravenberch’s pathGravenberch has some similarities to Wirtz in that he was a prodigious young player coming through to first team football at a very young age.The players were 16 and 17 when they became regulars in the senior squads at Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.READ MORE: Wayne Rooney makes ‘superstar’ Hugo Ekitike claim and challenges Alexander Isak at LiverpoolFrom Ajax, Gravenberch then made the step to Bayern Munich, with the hope of being their central midfield leader for years to come.Unfortunately, the then 20-year-old did not settle in Munich, and after just one year the Bundesliga champions gave up on Gravenberch. Despite all his talent and promise, he was sold to Liverpool.Even after making the move to Anfield, things did not immediately work for Gravenberch.

But after a season of getting to grips with things, he has transformed to fulfil his potential as one of the best midfielders in Europe.Things are a little different with Wirtz given the price Liverpool paid to sign him. This is a young player making a big step up at an early stage of his career.

If the Reds are not patient, they could lead themselves into the same trap Bayern fell into.Liverpool must be patient with WirtzPart of the problem facing Wirtz at Liverpool so far is that the Reds did not really play a system that accommodates his skills before his arrival.As a result, the Liverpool coaching staff are still trying to work out the best way to fit the 22-year-old in with his teammates.The worry is that if they cannot do this quick enough, performances will take another downturn, Wirtz’s confidence will go and Liverpool will be left to look for other options.This could lead to Wirtz being sold in much the same way Gravenberch was at Bayern two years ago.Liverpool must bear all of this in mind and be as patient as possible with their new No. They have benefitted from Bayern’s reluctance to afford Gravenberch the space he needed to develop and settle in, they cannot let someone else do the same with Wirtz.