Keane Backs Wirtz to Flourish After Comparing Him to Modric's Spurs Struggles

Roy Keane has weighed in on Florian Wirtz's Liverpool journey, offering a measured outlook on the German's prospects after drawing a telling comparison with a Spurs midfielder who faced early scepticism.

Wirtz's arrival at Anfield for £100m from Bayer Leverkusen last summer proved something of a false start, but recent performances have sparked optimism that the 24-year-old is beginning to unlock his potential in the Premier League.

When the panel debated the summer's attacking signings—hits or misses—Neville posed the question directly: four league goals and two assists in 24 appearances. Is that a success story or still a work in progress?

Carragher sat on the fence. "He's in the middle," the former defender offered. "A maybe. He's definitely improved." Wright agreed there were positive signs, whilst Scott suggested patience was the key ingredient.

Keane then invoked Luka Modric's name, recalling how the Croatian midfielder required time to adjust to English football's demands whilst at Tottenham before eventually departing for Real Madrid and becoming one of the game's finest midfielders.

"I still think it'll take him a full season to get up to speed," Keane explained. "Remember when Modric and those players took their time at Spurs to get used to the physicality, and he ended up playing in a two. I could not see how he was going to become a top player."

Wirtz caught the eye during Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Sunderland on Wednesday, a display that manager Arne Slot felt warranted at least a goal. "Not for the first time he was really good," Slot reflected. "Recently when he was really good he was also involved in goals and assists. I think today he was very close and maybe should have been on the scoreboard with the amount of quality he has."

Carragher's own position has evolved considerably. Having questioned whether Wirtz could become a "great" Liverpool player back in October, the Sky Sports analyst has since performed a complete U-turn, now suggesting the winger represents something rather special.

"Wirtz is getting better all the time," Carragher stated on Monday Night Football. "Eventually, the mantle has to be passed on, and there is no doubt the lad has real quality. The Premier League has lost Kevin De Bruyne, but we have gained Wirtz. When I watch Wirtz, I think he could be lovely on the eye like David Silva, but he has almost a bit of both."