'More to come' - Virgil van Dijk backing Florian Wirtz to step into star role for Liverpool after first Premier League goal

Wirtz’s first goal for the Reds not only saw the 22-year-old reach a major milestone personally after a difficult few months, it proved the winner for Arne Slot’s side as they picked up an important three points which saw them return to the top four in the league table.

It was the first time Liverpool had risen back to as high as fourth since the dismal autumn run which saw the reigning champions fall into the bottom half of the table at one stage. Though they are still seven points behind Aston Villa and ten off Arsenal at the top, the Reds have opened up a three-point buffer on Chelsea and Manchester United and appear to have put a stop to what was a worrying slide.

Germany international Wirtz has received as much criticism as any Reds star this campaign but his performances have gradually improved over the last month, starting with a stand-out display in the victory at West Ham United on November 30 and now culminating in the former Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid scoring his first Liverpool goal in his 23rd appearance for the club.

Reported by ESPN, Van Dijk said of Wirtz after his role in the victory: "I was very happy for him. He played a very good game. Everyone was outstanding in the first half. It's great to see and hopefully many more to come from him.

"He's getting used to playing for Liverpool and what we want to do as a team. He's getting used to the intensity. After about 70 minutes I think he had some cramp. It's part of the game. He just has to keep going. It was an important goal for us and now on to New Year's Day.

"I think he runs almost everywhere. At times on the left, at times in the middle. He's a very intelligent player who is so comfortable on the ball. He finds space between the lines and can be very important.

"He wants to be important in terms of goals and assists. The work rate he puts in and the chances he creates is what I think is even more important. I am really pleased for him, like the rest of the team. You saw the celebrations. Everyone is so happy for him."

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Head coach Slot echoed Van Dijk’s words and suggested Wirtz will be “relieved” after getting off the mark for the Reds following his improved recent displays.

"I am quite sure it was a relief for him," Slot said. "I could see with his reaction when he scored the goal and it was the same with his teammates, they were really happy for him.

"In football, rightly so maybe, we mainly get judged on results and individuals mainly get judged on goals and assists and we sometimes forget what else is there to do during a game.

"And I think he has multiple good games for us but I also think he is getting better every game he plays for us. He is getting fitter and fitter and was getting closer and closer to his first goal and it is not a surprise he scores today. He will be the first to understand that one goal is not enough.

"So hopefully he will score many more goals for us than just this one. But I also liked his performance during large parts of the game today, I think he was special in a lot of moments."

Wirtz will aim to push forward in 2026 and play a decisive role reminiscent of his price tag in Liverpool’s push for silverware come the end of the season. 

His Anfield career is still in its infancy and there will be many more opportunities for the playmaker to affect games in the Premier League and show just why he was one of the most sought-after players in world football over the summer.

Wirtz told Sky Sports at full-time on Saturday: "It was very nice, the feeling on the pitch with the fans around, I was very happy.

"I was confident that I would score one day, I wanted to start scoring and assisting earlier but it was like this, I have to accept it but I just knew that it would come and I had to keep going."