Jamie Carragher names 'poor' Liverpool star who has been given an 'easy ride' this season

Jamie Carragher believes that Florian Wirtz has been given an ‘easy ride’ during his maiden Liverpool season.

The attacking midfielder endured another subdued game in the Red’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United. Arne Slot’s side suffered an 11th league loss as defending champions.

Wirtz was purchased for £100 million last summer. Since his arrival, he has managed seven goals and 10 assists in 47 games. However, he failed to register a goal contribution against any of the current teams sitting in the top six of the table.

And Carragher suggested that Wirtz should be making much more of an impact given he’s been at Liverpool for virtually the entire season. Speaking on Sky Sports, the Kop legend said: "The one player I think has had a very easy ride is Florian Wirtz. I've never moved clubs let alone moved to a different country. But, I think we've given him time. We've been very, very kind.

"He was poor today. And even if Liverpool play really well, it's still Szoboszlai and even at times this season Salah. Salah hasn't been the Salah of last season, but he has still been one of Liverpool's best attackers.

"I commentated Liverpool away at Burnley earlier in the season and I described Wirtz as being neat and tidy. I was being kind then. I wouldn't describe him as anything different right now. He's a year into his Liverpool career."

Carragher also suggested that Liverpool’s meek Premier League title defence is because they lack a playing identity and there is a dearth of physicality in the squad. Pressure remains on head coach Slot.

"Am I worried about where Liverpool are going? Yeah, I am,” said Carragher.

"I think it will be really interesting who Liverpool buy in the summer, what the profile of player will be. Going for just good players hasn't worked, it's blown up in their face. There's a lack of physicality.

"We're in a situation now where we look at the teams who are looking for a manager: Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.

"Those three clubs we just mentioned sacked their managers midway through the season. They ended up with [Alvaro] Arbeloa whose never managed before, [Michael] Carrick who had been at Middlesbrough and young [Liam] Rosenior which it was too big a jump.

"Maybe those big managers aren't around at the moment, those figures aren't available. Xabi Alonso is the one that's making Liverpool fans think: 'We don't want to miss out on him'.

"We can't be a club who continue for the next five or 10 years saying, 'Oh, we want Jurgen Klopp football'. The fella is a genius. He does football better than anybody. So whatever manager is going to come in, he's going to play his football.

"The worry is not that there's no identity. That is the identity. So it's on the manager's shoulders. And I go back to last year when Liverpool didn't sign anybody, but the one player he wanted was Martin Zubimendi again, another technical footballer.

"I'm not saying that doesn't work. The most successful team in the Premier League over the last 10 years have been a technical football team, but we're going away from what Jurgen Klopp was, because this manager wants that.

"This is where he's taken this team. And that's the worry for me, is this actually going to go more of the other way? "Or are we thinking Liverpool needs to go back to last season? Or is Arne Slot thinking, 'No, we actually need more technical footballers?'"