Struggling Liverpool star Florian Wirtz told he is under way less scrutiny at Anfield than he would be at Bayern Munich by Germany legend Thomas Muller

Florian Wirtz would be receiving far more criticism if he was producing his current Liverpool form for Bayern Munich, according to Germany legend Thomas Muller. The Vancouver Whitecaps forward has weighed in on the performances of the Reds midfielder, who turned down interest from two European giants in favour of a big-money move to Anfield in the summer.

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  Wirtz may have turned a corner following slow start to Liverpool life

  Expectations were high when Wirtz completed an eye-catching switch to Liverpool in June, with the Premier League champions stumping up £116 million (€133m/$157m) to prize him away from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen ahead of both Bayern and Manchester City.

  However, the 22-year-old has made an underwhelming start to life on Merseyside, failing to find the back of the net in 22 appearances across all competitions for Arne Slot’s side.

  But Wirtz could be about to turn a corner after recording his first league assist in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday. The Germany international teed up Alexander Isak as the Sweden striker opened the scoring for the visitors in north London.

  Yet in a huge blow to both Isak and Liverpool, the 26-year-old suffered a fractured leg in the process after he was caught by Spurs defender Micky van de Ven, who tried to block the forward’s effort on goal. The former Newcastle United attacker has subsequently been ruled out for a couple of months by manager Slot.

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  Muller cites Wirtz when asked why he did not leave Bayern sooner

  While Wirtz looks to build on his maiden league assist when Liverpool lock horns with winless Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, he has now been told he is fortunate his struggles are coming at the 20-time champions of England – and not at Bayern.

  In an interview with German publication , Muller – who currently plays for MLS Cup runners-up Vancouver – mentioned Wirtz’s struggles adapting to English football when asked why he decided against moving abroad sooner than he did.

  "I wouldn’t want to miss a single second of my time at Bayern," said Muller, who played alongside Wirtz during Germany's Euro 2024 campaign. "Nowhere else are you in the melting pot of attention as much as you are as a national player in Munich. I loved that so much, in good times and bad. 

  "Take Flo Wirtz, who took an international step with his move to Liverpool. At Bayern, he would certainly have had an easier time adapting to the game, as he would have remained in the same league."

• Germany icon believes Reds star would receive more scorn at Bayern

  And when pushed on Wirtz’s current Liverpool form, he added: "That’s true [that he is struggling]. But it’s nowhere near comparable to the media attention you get as a player when things aren’t going well for you at FC Bayern. You’re in the spotlight every day. As a foreigner, you’re just not talked about as much!"

  Muller established himself as one of the greatest Bayern players of all time during a 17-year spell with the Bavarians. Emerging through the club's youth system, he went on to win 33 trophies in Munich before joining Major League Soccer side Vancouver on a free transfer in the summer.

  He is also widely regarded as one of the best German footballers in history, having helped his country win the World Cup in 2014. The 36-year-old boasts a remarkable scoring record at FIFA's flagship tournament, having netted 10 goals in 16 appearances.

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  Slot reveals how Liverpool dressing room is trying to help Wirtz

  Wirtz will go in search of his elusive first Liverpool goal when his side lock horns with rock-bottom Wolves at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

  Opening up about how the dressing room are trying to help Wirtz adapt to the demands of the Premier League, Liverpool boss Slot said before the win over Tottenham last weekend: "I hope I made it clear that I am talking not just about the new players (who have needed to adapt) but players in general, Florian has improved a lot. I am not talking about his ability on the ball because we could see from the start that that was top. 

  "But I saw in one moment against Brighton where he took the ball off Dom (Szoboszlai), he dribbled and a player came to him and he pushed him away and kept on dribbling. Then he provided a cut back cross for Hugo [Ekitike] who shot over the bar. Later he won the duel with (Brighton's) Jan Paul van Hecke that led to the counter attack with the shot from Mo (Salah).

  "In those moments you see it gets easier for him. It takes a lot, a lot, a lot of effort for him to play in this intensity but he is getting used to it. That is my take. Both (fitness and weight work). A lot of them have grown in kilograms, in muscle. That’s one thing. And secondly, if you are only in the gym you cannot be prepared for 90 minutes of Premier League football. It is about playing those games, I would say training but we hardly ever do that, so it’s playing, playing, playing."