Liverpool fans have made up their minds on Florian Wirtz after first match for Liverpool vs Stoke
Florian Wirtz made his first appearance for Liverpool in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Stoke City.
Florian Wirtz made his Liverpool debut in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Sunday and fans have already made their minds up on their German.
Wirtz became Liverpool's record signing in June, joining in a £100 million switch from Bayer Leverkusen and penning a long-time contract until 2030.
Liverpool started their pre-season campaign with a 3-1 victory over Preston, though Wirtz did not feature.
However, he did make his bow on Sunday in a game against Stoke City in a game at the AXA Training Centre.
Advert
The Premier League champions ran out 5-0 winners, with Darwin Nunez bagging a hat-trick and Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa also getting in on the act.
Wirtz, wearing the No.58 shirt on a temporary basis, wowed fans with a scintillating display when Liverpool eventually posted highlights on their channels.
The German showed his qualities with a driving run through midfield for the opening goal, scored by Nunez after Wirtz' pass was only half-cleared.
He then added an assist with a smart pass from the edge of the box for Ngumoha's deflected effort and already Liverpool fans are raving about their record addition.
One fan on X said: "Wirtz with 2 assists in his debut."
A second commented: "I don't think the premier league is ready for Florian Wirtz. We actually signed a generational gem."
A third added: "That Wirtz touch and strength, takes 3 seconds to realise he’s world class."
Another stated: "Wirtz is another level technically."
Arne Slot experiments with Liverpool's star position
There were plenty of interesting takeaways from a Liverpool perspective, particularly the use of Szoboszlai as a right-back.
The Hungarian, a key midfielder in Slot's side as they won the league last term, started ahead of Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley in the backline.
But as the highlights show, Szoboszlai bombed on from the position and whipped in a glorious cross for Nunez to make it 2-0 after youngster Trey Nyoni picked out his run.
Liverpool step up their preparations for the new season with a tour of Asia, where they will take on AC Milan and Yokohama F. Marinos.
A 29-man squad has been named by Slot, who has omitted Luis Diaz and Federico Chiesa amid transfer speculation.
Josh Lawless