Carragher has discussed the recent performances of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike on his show, stating that Wirtz is a hybrid of David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, while also claiming that Ekitike is better than Fernando Torres during his time at Liverpool.
Carragher once insisted that Wirtz was not “top-tier” due to his slow start to adapting to the pace of the Premier League. Back in October last year, he said: “Let’s be honest, think about the great foreign players who have graced the Premier League: Sami Hyypiä, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Luis Suárez, Dietmar Hamann. All of them hit the ground running and established themselves immediately.”
“I can’t think of many top foreign stars who endured a mediocre or even dreadful start to life in the Premier League. I’m not talking about a seven-game settling-in period. If you’re still underperforming by Christmas and January, leaving everyone thinking, ‘Meh, that’s all he’s got,’ then you’re probably not going to make it. Very few players in Premier League history have taken a full year to find their feet.”
However, Carragher has completely changed his tune. On Sky Sports’ show this Monday, the pundit heaped praise on Wirtz, even comparing him to two Premier League legends.
“Wirtz is getting better and better,” Carragher said. “Legacies in football are meant to be passed on, and there’s no questioning this lad’s talent.”
“The Premier League might have lost Kevin De Bruyne, but we’ve gained Wirtz. It’s a huge bonus for the league to have a player of this caliber join. I’ve watched him extensively and kept wondering if he could reach De Bruyne’s level. When you watch Wirtz play, you see the elegant, mesmerizing technique of David Silva, combined with the qualities of De Bruyne. He really is the perfect blend of the two.”
“I’m not sure if he’ll ever match De Bruyne’s numbers statistically. But slow start? Gary Neville even mocked him not long ago, saying he looked ‘like a lost boy’ during the away game at Manchester City. Liverpool face Man City at Anfield this week, and Wirtz is a completely different player now, brimming with confidence. He’s evolved from that timid ‘young boy’ into a mature performer, and this match is the perfect opportunity for him to silence Neville’s comments.”
Wirtz is not the only player to receive high praise from Carragher. The pundit has even gone so far as to say Ekitike is now a better player than former Liverpool forward Fernando Torres, the Spanish striker who played alongside Carragher for the Reds.
Ekitike completed a £79 million move to Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer and has enjoyed an explosive start to life at Anfield. He has firmly secured a starting spot during Alexander Isak’s injury absence and has scored 15 goals so far this season.
He bagged a brace in Liverpool’s 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle United last weekend, once again showcasing his sharp understanding with Wirtz in the final third. As Slot’s side push hard for Champions League qualification, Ekitike will be eager to maintain his red-hot form for the rest of the campaign.
Although Ekitike’s Liverpool career is still in its early stages, Carragher believes he has already surpassed Torres, who scored 81 goals in 142 appearances for the Reds between 2007 and 2011.
“It’s incredibly exciting, because you can clearly see what the future holds for this team,” Carragher stated. “Clubs have to regenerate eventually and move on from the era of Salah and Van Dijk.”
“As for manager Arne Slot, we were talking about ‘hope’ only last week — watching these new signings perform so brilliantly has given the club a massive injection of hope. I’ve noticed both Wirtz and Ekitike like operating on the left flank, but bringing in a player of Wirtz’s quality is all about unlocking deep-lying defences. You need someone with magic in his boots to break teams down.”
“I think Ekitike is better than Torres in his Liverpool days. He might not end up matching Torres’ goal tally, but Torres’ success at Liverpool was heavily reliant on Steven Gerrard carrying him and creating chances for him. Ekitike doesn’t depend on Wirtz nearly as much as Torres depended on Gerrard. Still, if he keeps linking up with Wirtz as well as he is now, he has every chance of matching Torres’ goal record.”
nayaciknrs
8
total nonsense,with all due respect to Wirtz and Ekitike it's way too early.