Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has claimed that Roberto Firmino's struggling start at Anfield proves that new signings should not be judged too quickly.
The Brazilian took 14 games to score his first Liverpool goal after joining the club from Hoffenheim for £29m last summer.
The attacker has now scored 11 goals this season in all competitions, 10 of which have come in the Premier League, where he has also provided seven assists, meaning that he has been involved in more top-flight goals than any other Liverpool player in the 2015-16 campaign.
In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, Klopp said: "It wasn't a surprise to me when I heard people questioning him. That's how it is in Germany too.
"You don't watch too much German football. You get a player from Hoffenheim in Germany and everyone though, 'Oh, a nice signing Liverpool', but not many people here knew him because he wasn't from Bayern, he wasn't from Dortmund. I knew about Roberto. When I heard that Liverpool had signed him I thought, 'How have they done this?'
"What we can learn from Roberto's situation going forward when it comes to next season's signings is wait to make judgements. Don't be too quick to judge players."
Liverpool are preparing for their final two league games of the season against Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion before they take on Sevilla in the Europa League final in Basel on May 18.
Danielle Joynson
