I heard what Florian Wirtz said and I’m even more worried about Salah’s exit now

Florian Wirtz is looking more and more at home in a Liverpool shirt, but his performances during the international break paint a slightly worrying picture ahead of Mohamed Salah’s exit.

Adapting to the Premier League has been a long learning curve for Florian Wirtz – but the German star looks to be finding his feet now at Liverpool.

A £153 billion performance was always going to bring high expectations, not to mention all his eye-catching displays at Bayer Leverkusen, and while there were no goals or assists in the Premier League in those first few months, eyebrows were raised everywhere.

However, Liverpool continued. The team wouldn’t have dropped so much money on Wirtz if they didn’t have so much confidence in his ability to adapt to his new environment, and the results of that work are starting to show.

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After that light start, Wirtz now has four goals and three assists to his name on the field, and it could have been more if some of his teammates were more clinical.

The 22-year-old seems to be getting his kicker now, aided by a program designed to bulk him up. Not only has that improved his fortunes in the Premier League, but it also looks set to pay dividends for his country, having impressed during the international break in Germany’s wins over Switzerland – where he contributed four goals – and Ghana.

Opening up on his move to the Premier League, Wirtz told German television program Sportschau: “Yes [the first few months at Liverpool] it was not an easy step.

“Sometimes it’s nice that things don’t always go up and you have a dip and you’re stronger because of it.

“That’s how I see it now – it made me stronger. I had to overcome opposition and adapt. I had to learn to be strong and hold on to the ball.”

As encouraging as it is to hear from Wirtz, it leaves me even more worried about whether it will be another big summer for Liverpool.

While we are unlikely to see the kind of spending spree we saw last summer, the Reds will have at least one big job on their hands as they attempt to replace Mohamed Salah. But how in the world do you do that?

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It’s a difficult enough task to replicate what Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer has brought, and with the likes of Wirtz struggling to adapt, it suggests it will be even more difficult for Salah’s transfer.

Whoever it is, fans will have to adjust their expectations. If it ends up being a nice guy like Yan Diomande or Bradley Barcola, they will need time like Wirtz.

It’s a rush of instant success, especially after such a frustrating time this season, there may not be enough room for patience for some.

This is a big decision for Liverpool and FSG to make. Regardless of who ends up filling Salah’s shoes, Wirtz’s debut at Anfield suggests it may not be the smoothest of transitions.