Florian Wirtz is still finding his feet in his first Premier League season. Former international player Steffen Freund explains why that’s normal.
Florian Wirtz is experiencing a rather bumpy start in his first Premier League season. Former international player Steffen Freund has now named possible reasons for this – and doesn’t see the causes solely in the 22-year-old himself.
“From my experience, it takes at least six months to fully get used to the Premier League,” Freund explained in an interview with LeoVegas . “For Florian, the move to Liverpool is, in my opinion, the perfect step, but also a huge one.”
Steffen Freund moved from Borussia Dortmund to Tottenham Hotspur in 1999
The Premier League “surprises every player”
The fact that Wirtz is initially struggling with teething problems doesn’t surprise the TV expert. It’s normal “that he hasn’t immediately become the absolute ‘game changer’.”
Freund explained: “The Premier League is the best league in the world, by far. The pace, the intensity, the individual quality. That surprises every player who comes there – even top players like Florian.”
Freund knows what he’s talking about: In 1999, the then-midfielder moved from the Bundesliga to the island to Tottenham Hotspur and knows the challenges of the English league from his own experience.
Wirtz must now do one thing above all: work hard on himself. Primarily, it needs time for his “body and head” to get used to the new conditions, the 55-year-old said.
Wirtz? “The whole world will want him”
The only thing that could get in Wirtz’s way on his path to a breakthrough is an injury.
“If he stays fit, takes the right steps and the coach manages his load well, gives him breaks when necessary, even leaves him out sometimes, then I tell you: In 18 months, Florian Wirtz will be the best player at Liverpool and the whole world will want him,” Freund predicted.