Liverpool finally have their new Philippe Coutinho with £100m transfer inevitable

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy is expecting big things from Florian Wirtz – but warns it will take time for the Germany international to settle

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC

On any other weekend, Everton’s first game at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton on Sunday would be the place to be. Or perhaps Selhurst Park, with Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest having acquired some significant beef during the summer.

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Neither, though, will attract quite the same interest or attention as the fixture on Monday evening when Liverpool travel to the North East to take on Newcastle United.

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The ongoing situation regarding Alexander Isak – Liverpool want to sign the striker with Newcastle starting to waver over their insistence to this summer not sell a player who has lost trust in the club’s owners – means there will be a hostile atmosphere awaiting the Reds.

It will prove another steep learning curve for the raft of new Liverpool signings – and a further test of how attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz can adapt to life in the hectic swirl of the Premier League.

Having taken on Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, the £116million club record signing has already had to cope with two of the top-flight’s most physical teams.

Newcastle, though, have long forged a reputation for roughing up opponents with minimal censure and, with the likes of Joelinton leading the scrap, used that to good effect to beat Liverpool in the League Cup final back in March.

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But former Reds favourite Danny Murphy is confident there will be no issues for Wirtz in the long term.

“He looks brave, I don’t think he’ll worry about making mistakes,” says Murphy.

“He’s fit as a fiddle, his numbers are great in terms of getting around the pitch. People talk about the physicality of the Premier League but I don’t see that as an issue for him.

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“I think he will go on to have a massive impact on the club, I really do think he is that good. It’s just a case of not expecting too much too soon. He just needs a little time to work people out around him.”

Wirtz scored 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen before switching to Anfield, and already has one assist when inviting Hugo Ekitike to score the opener in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley.

And when asked what he wants to see from the 22-year-old, Murphy doesn’t hesitate.

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“I am expecting goals and assists, to put it simply,” he says exclusively to the ECHO when speaking on behalf of NewBettingSites.uk. “His numbers were great in the Bundesliga. He has got that wonderful ability to see pictures really quickly that others don’t see.

“That isn’t something I believe that can be coached. It’s just a natural instinct to make things happen.

“For me, it is a phenomenal signing. You could argue it’s a lot of money for someone who has only had a couple of great seasons in the Bundesliga, but when you look at the amount of money that’s being spent on players these days in other positions, it’s inevitable Liverpool were going to break that £100m barrier at some point.”

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And Murphy believes Wirtz will offer something to Liverpool’s team that hasn’t been since the early days under Jurgen Klopp.

“He could be a game-changer for Liverpool,” he adds. “We haven’t had a player like him probably since Philippe Coutinho. Then Klopp changed the dynamic and brought three athletic players into the middle of the pitch.

“Even last season, Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones in that role are more midfielders playing as a number 10. Wirtz is more of a forward playing there. It’s a new style of player to have in the club, but I’m so excited.