Wirtz has been benched by Arne Slot for the champions' clash with Chelsea

Florian Wirtz has been benched by Liverpool manager Arne Slot for the champions' clash with Chelsea.

The £116million man, signed from Bayer Leverkusen for a British record fee over the summer, has failed to hit the ground running since swapping Germany for Merseyside, and has not scored or assisted in his opening six Premier League appearances.

His form has drawn criticism from fans and pundits, with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher calling for Slot to 'take him out of the team' following their Champions League defeat in midweek by Galatasaray.

And Slot has heeded those calls by benching Wirtz for Saturday afternoon's game in London.

'Right now I don't think the balance of the team is right and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz,' Carragher said on CBS after Tuesday's defeat.

'He's just not at the races at all. He's a young boy coming into a new league - he has got plenty of time to go as Liverpool player but right now I think he needs to come out of the team, Liverpool go back to what they were last season and then go from there and build some confidence, build some defensive stability.

'Because right now it is a mess.'

But the Liverpool faithful are still fully behind the young attacker, while his compatriot - German legend Rudi Voller - has backed him to overcome his sluggish start and make a huge impact at Anfield.

He told Bild: 'Florian is playing in a new league and a new club. These are normal adjustment problems.

'Almost every professional has them. I have no doubt that with his running and playing ability, he will make the breakthrough.'

Wirtz is showing glimpses of what he is capable of and has impressive running numbers and chance creation stats.

He has created 21 chances in the Premier League, only matched by Jack Grealish, but his team-mates have not been able to finish them off and Wirtz is yet to deliver a big match-winning moment in a Liverpool shirt.

The former Liverpool defender's remarks came after Wayne Rooney had said Wirtz damages the balance of the side.

The former Manchester United striker said on his BBC podcast: ‘It’s been tough for him, I don’t think there’s any denying that. He’ll be searching deep within himself to try and fix that and trying to figure out.