Florian Wirtz must show one personality trait to succeed at Liverpool as Arne Slot factor highlighted

Liverpool manager Arne Slot must urge Florian Wirtz to show one particular personality trait if he is to make a success of himself at Anfield, a former Reds and England striker has exclusively told Sports Mole.

The erstwhile Bayer Leverkusen starlet briefly became Liverpool's most expensive signing of all time - before being overtaken by Alexander Isak - when he joined for an initial £100m in June, potentially rising to £116m through performance-related add-ons.

Wirtz commanded a nine-figure fee after blossoming into one of Europe's most feared playmakers during his time in Germany, but he has endured a slow start to life at Anfield, failing to score or assist in any of his first three Premier League appearances.

The Germany international did provide the assist for Hugo Ekitike's goal in the Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace, but he has failed to complete the full 90 in the English top flight so far and was ineffective in the Reds' 1-0 win over Arsenal last weekend.

However, Emile Heskey - a six-time trophy winner with the Reds - believes that Wirtz has already bedded in without too many problems and will succeed if he shows 'bravery', saying: “I think he has settled in quite well.

Wirtz must be "brave" to succeed at Liverpool under Slot

"It’s always difficult coming from a different league and a different style of play. Especially against Arsenal, I believe Slot looked to set Liverpool up differently to the other two games.

“Liverpool had conceded a couple of goals in each game, so against a title rival the role for Wirtz was going to be different. I wouldn’t be concerned, it’s a long season, three wins out of three now, a win against a key rival, plus Isak joining now, there is no concern whatsoever.

“The more he plays, the more comfortable he will be in the team and with a very long season ahead it’s a team game. Slot will remind him to be brave and I am sure he will be even more effective as the weeks go on.

“Slot has shown he can get the best out of players, so am very sure we will see Wirtz perform like he has done in Germany very soon.”

Wirtz is currently with the Germany squad preparing for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Northern Ireland, and he is expected to start against the former on Thursday evening.

Dissecting Wirtz's performance for Liverpool against Arsenal

One of the main criticisms of Wirtz's recent display against Arsenal - particularly from Gary Neville on Sky Sports commentary - was that the 22-year-old was operating far too deep to make an impact for the champions in the final third.

Wirtz was often seen dropping back into his own half to collect possession, and he only created one chance throughout the match, registering a meagre Expected Assists total of 0.06.

The Germany midfielder also lost the ball 11 times and registered an unspectacular pass completion rate of 71%, failing with three of his four long pass attempts, although he did prove more effective in possession.

Wirtz completed three dribbles from three attempts and also contributed to the defensive effort, registering two tackles and one interception as he won five of his six ground duels.

The 22-year-old therefore more than played his part in the beating of Arsenal, but for a £100m outlay, fans will expect the goals and assists to flow soon.

Emile Heskey was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of William Hill.