Liverpool’s £200m summer signings Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz are under increasing pressure after Arne Slot’s side suffered a fourth consecutive defeat, losing to Manchester United on Sunday.
Isak, 26, became Liverpool’s record signing after joining from Newcastle, while Wirtz arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m. But both have struggled to make an impact early in the season.
Wirtz is still without a goal contribution in his first 10 appearances and was benched for the second successive Premier League game. Isak, meanwhile, looked off the pace after missing Newcastle’s pre-season before his move.
Former England striker Wayne Rooney questioned whether Isak should start ahead of Hugo Ekitike, who has impressed since joining Liverpool.
“I wouldn’t play Isak, he hasn’t looked ready since coming from Newcastle,” Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show. “He hasn’t trained, hasn’t had a pre-season. It’s so important… On performances, he doesn’t deserve to be playing ahead of Ekitike.”
Wirtz has also come under fire, with Emmanuel Petit arguing before the United clash that the 21-year-old “is not worth the £116m” Liverpool paid in June.
[Sky Sports reports] Jamie Carragher also weighed in, suggesting fans could soon question whether Wirtz’s transfer was a mistake if his form doesn’t improve by early 2026.
“How long do you give foreign players when they first come to the league?” Carragher said. “Seven or eight games is too early, but once we get to January or February, that’s when questions start. Especially at Liverpool — great foreign signings usually hit the ground running.”
The mounting criticism adds pressure on Slot and his big-money signings as Liverpool look to halt their worrying run of defeats.
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