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- 29 minutes ago
‘A €125m problem’ - Gary Neville SLAUGHTERS Liverpool flop
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 11 Nov 2025 13:51 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Gary Neville has issued another withering attack against Liverpool flop Florian Wirtz after his performance against Man City.
Wirtz has been a disaster since his joining the Reds this summer from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth €125 million - a then British record.
Current ETV
Florian Wirtz
AM, M (C)
Liverpool
Florian Wirtz
AM, M (C)
Liverpool
ETV Range
€102.8M - €171.3M
He produced another dismal performance on Sunday as Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by Man City at the Etihad.
The result means Liverpool are in complete crisis, having lost five of their last six matches in the Premier League and fallen to eighth place in the table.
What did Neville say?
“Wirtz in particular, it was a really bad day for him. We’ve been tiptoeing around him for a few months, around the fact that he’s young, he’s coming to a new country, but he’s €125m and you’re gonna have to stand up soon," Neville said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
“He’s obviously got something, he’s a really good player, he’s technically fantastic, but he’s been mauled out there by [Matheus] Nunes and by others. He’s been chucked around the pitch, and didn’t deliver on the quality side of things as well, so his performance was a real worry.”
“Wirtz is a problem. Let’s just call it as it is. It’s an issue. He’s €125m and, to be fair, I said a few weeks ago about [Milos] Kerkez that he looks like a little boy out there. Today I thought Wirtz looked like a little boy. That can’t be the case.”
Wirtz has endured a dismal start to life in the Premier League. He has managed no goals and no assists in 11 matches.
Wirtz's performances for Liverpool are a far cry from his brilliance at Leverkusen.
Wirtz joined Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 16 after spending 10 years at youth club FC Koln.
He immediately developed into one of the most exciting young talents in German football, becoming Leverkusen’s youngest-ever Bundesliga debutant at the age of just 17 years and 15 days.
His rapid rise was tested when he tore his ACL as an 18 year old in 2022.
After missing 10 months of action, Wirtz returned and he soon reached even bigger heights during a historic 2023-24 season.
Leverkusen went the entire Bundesliga season unbeaten as they stormed to the title. They also won the DFB-Pokal and went so close to an unbeaten treble as they fell at the final hurdle in the Europa League final to Atalanta.
Wirtz played a key role in Leverkusen’s success with 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions.
He was named Bundesliga Player of the Season and also impressed at Euro 2024 with two goals before Germany’s controversial quarter final exit to Spain.
Wirtz also impressed in the 2024-25 despite Leverkusen falling short in the Bundesliga and Champions League - beaten by Bayern Munich in both competitions.
The attacking midfielder scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists in all competitions.
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