Liverpool manager Arne Slot and centre-back Virgil van Dijk have thrown their support behind Florian Wirtz. The 22-year-old has yet to make his mark for Slot's team since his £116million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher has suggested that the struggling midfielder should be benched, despite the fact that no other Premier League player has created more opportunities for their team in all competitions this season than the German.

Wirtz is now set to prove his worth when Liverpool face off against arch-rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday afternoon (kick-off at 4:30pm). And Slot has explained why he thinks the lack of goals and assists for Wirtz has been slightly misleading so far.

"If you've been brought in for so much money, people look mainly at goals and assists, but I can tell you he could be on six or seven assists already," he told Sky Sports. "If you look at the passes he's played to his team-mates which unfortunately didn't lead to...