Arne Slot urged to not rush £156m duo back into Liverpool side | Football

Arne Slot has been urged to not rush two Liverpool summer signings back into the starting lineup after the Reds snapped their losing streak on the weekend.

After losing 4 Premier League games in a row, Liverpool got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.

And while still not at their fluent best, the result provided a fine addition to Slot, who had seen his side lose six of their previous seven games in all competitions in a run of form which even saw his future called into query.

The Dutchman was backed to the tune of around £450million over the summer transfer window, but has experienced loads of teething issues as he looks to integrate his latest players into his lineup.

Florian Wirtz, who joined for a mammoth £116m fee from Bayer Leverkusen, began Liverpool’s first five games of the season but has been relegated to the bench for 3 of their last 4 league encounters.

Within the German’s place, Slot has reverted to the midfield three of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominic Szoboszlai, who were the heartbeat of Liverpool’s title-winning side last yr.

And former Reds winger Jermaine Pennant believes Slot must be in no rush to bring Wirtz back into the lineup, but is confident the midfielder will prove his value before too long.

‘I feel because Liverpool were in a rut and a horrible losing streak, they clearly needed to return to basics after which bleed him in slowly,’ Pennant told Metro via casino.org who showcase the very best gambling sites within the UK.

‘It’s a brand new country, it’s a brand new league, it’s quicker, more physical, it’s more demanding on the body, you get less time. It’s a very different experience. 

‘There are quite a lot of players who come to this league and find it very difficult, and possibly sometimes even need a season. But I feel Liverpool have to get this foundation back again, and Wirtz will come into that frame slowly but surely.

‘They simply have to get in a winning way, after which when he’s on the pitch, after which they keep a clean sheet, after which they begin winning again, I’m sure he will even discover a place within the team with out a shadow of a doubt since it’s too good to not.’

Sunday’s win against Villa also saw Andy Robertson return to the lineup for his first league start of the season.

Milos Kerkez had replaced the Scot after signing from Bournemouth for £40m in the summertime, but has looked a noticeable weak point in Liverpool’s defence throughout the opening portion of the season.

The Hungarian international was described as a ‘nervous wreck’ by former Reds midfielder Jamie Redknapp when Liverpool lost to United last month,and Pennant believes Slot is true to fall back on the experience of Robertson in the interim.

‘With him in that defence, the cohesion is there,’ he added. ‘They’ve played together for multiple years. They’ve won the league together.

‘So, for me at once, that’s like a stopgap. It’s like, stop the bleeding, and let’s return to what we all know, and we all know can work.

‘It’s not the top goal. I feel once the team’s confident again, once the team’s getting back-to-back results and possibly back to my clean sheets, we are going to start seeing a bit little bit of tweak, integrating the opposite players like Kerkez back slowly.

‘But at once, once you’re in, I won’t say a crisis, but in a difficult period, it’s at all times good to return to what you recognize.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the most recent news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Ruben Amorim told to exchange Jose Mourinho’s £19m Man Utd signing

MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo rules one team out of Premier League title race and makes Arsenal prediction

MORE: Claude Makelele makes Moises Caicedo prediction after ‘best on the planet’ claim