Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz will be good at Anfield – according to his former manager Xabi Alonso.
The Germany international has struggled since his £100million summer move but has played a key role in Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen side winning the Bundesliga in 2024.
He has scored 57 goals in 197 games for Leverkusen but is yet to find the net for Liverpool – where Alonso himself spent five years as a player.
Alonso said: “I have no doubt. It’s just a question of time.
“It’s a big change for him to come to Liverpool after so many years in Germany, he’s been there all his life.
“He is a really special player. He has quality, personality and he is competitive. This has happened before with great Premier League players and I have no doubt with Flo.
“He’s very special and that’s probably one of the reasons why I’m here now (at Real Madrid), so I’m very grateful to Flo. Hopefully not tomorrow, but I’m sure he will show his quality and his class.”
Real face Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday in the Champions League, where a possible return of Trent Alexander-Arnold promises to grab the headlines.
Alexander-Arnold is another summer signing who is yet to hit the next level, but Alonso believes he will make his mark for Real.
“He must have his own feelings and enjoy them in his own way, so I’m not going to say what he must feel,” Alonso said.
“Of course his story is different from mine, he was born and raised in Liverpool, I remember him from a young age at the academy, then coming into the first team and winning the Champions League.
“So he needs to enjoy this moment because it’s nice to be back and for him it’s going to be nice.”
