Kenny Dalglish explains what Florian Wirtz must do to be a Liverpool success

Kenny Dalglish reckons Florian Wirtz must forge a deadly understanding with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike if he's to flourish at Liverpool. The 22-year-old arrived at the Reds this summer in a then-club-record move from Bayer Leverkusen for £116million.

Yet after six outings in the Premier League, he's still yet to justify his enormous price tag, drawing a blank in terms of goals and assists in England's top flight. Last campaign, the attacking midfielder was sensational in Germany, bagging 16 goals and laying on 15 assists. But his difficulties linking up with his new Liverpool team-mates has prompted many to wonder precisely when he'll provide value for the massive outlay.

Whilst some reckon Wirtz simply requires time to settle, Dalglish has shared his thoughts on what the player must do to establish himself in Arne Slot's squad.

Appearing on the Stick To Football podcast, the iconic former striker and manager - who netted 170 goals for Liverpool across 511 matches between 1977 and 1990 - explained: "The first thing he needs to do is what he's doing at the moment. He's great at taking the ball into the feet, he'll open himself up and the pass has beat you but he's still got control of it.

"Or he'll take it the other way back past you to go that way and you're going this way. He can see what's in front of him, and once he gets it...I saw Isak the other day, the second-half when he came on I think, and he's talking to one of the boys about his movement, what he would do.

"And the boy is sitting and listening to him and once they get on the same wavelength...by the way, that wee fella, he could open a can of soup."

When Dalglish was questioned about how swiftly he forged a similar understanding with Ian Rush during his playing days, given their extraordinary partnership throughout the 1980s, he replied: "It could happen right away. For Rushy, it was training for us.

"We practised it during training sessions, so that's where you master it initially, isn't it? I told him, 'Rushy, if there's a space there just leave it, I'll play it and you go for it.' Simple."

This follows Jamie Carragher's recent scathing assessment of Wirtz, as the pundit examined Wirtz's beginning at Liverpool. Following the 1-0 Champions League loss to Galatasaray on Tuesday evening, he told CBS Sports: "I'm not watching a top team.

"Liverpool are not playing football, they are playing basketball. And I told [Arne] Slot this on the first game of the season against Bournemouth. They obviously have a fantastic manager.

"Liverpool last season were a top team, but also a workmanlike team, which they've sprinkled a bit of stardust on in terms of the transfers they have brought in. And they haven't gained anything going forward, but they've lost a lot defensively.

"I think for the manager now, he now needs to really earn his money. He did last season, by winning the Premier League, but there are few problems he has got to fix.

"It will be really interesting how he does about it, because he spent a lot of money on certain players. Right now, the balance of the team is not right, and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz, who is just not at the races at all.

"He's a young boy, coming to a new league, and has plenty of time to go. But right now, he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool go back to what they were last season, and try to build some confidence and some stability. Right now it looks like a mess."

Wirtz will be hoping to make his mark when Liverpool travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on Saturday evening, after back-to-back losses against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.

Whilst the Reds remain two points ahead of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, they must quickly reverse their fortunes if they are to retain their title successfully.