Klopp: Wirtz joined Liverpool at an entirely unsuitable time
Klopp expressed his support for the young striker
Jürgen Klopp, the head coach of the Germany national team, has defended his compatriot Florian Wirtz, the Liverpool player, amid the criticism he has faced recently.
Klopp said on Saturday, during the pre-match press conference for the fixture against Greece, scheduled for tomorrow in the second round of the group stage of the UEFA Nations League: "When you look at the full context, you will find that Florian joined Liverpool at a completely unfavourable time."
"It relates to the death of Diogo Jota," he continued. "He (Wirtz) joined a team whose players' priority at that time was not football, and that is very understandable."
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Klopp added: "He learned a lot from his first year (with Liverpool). Now there is a new season under a new manager, and I believe he has started every match. He is delivering a very good level physically, and the team is beginning to regain its cohesion once again."
"Attacking players always need a team that works well around them," he went on. "And everyone who loves football can still see how outstanding Florian Wirtz is as a player."
The former Liverpool manager added: "We cannot do more than what we are doing here, by giving him a sufficient amount of training and playing time. Step by step, we give him the certainty and the good feeling, then we return him to Liverpool. I wish him all the best."
Wirtz had been due to link up with the Germany squad in the second phase of the current international break. Klopp called him up early after Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz picked up injuries, making him available to face Greece.
Germany opened their Nations League campaign with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam. Greece, meanwhile, beat their hosts Serbia 2-1.
