Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey believes Reds star Florian Wirtz must do more to justify his £116 million transfer fee.
Heskey insists the ex-Bayer Leverkusen man needs to become more influential in attack and learn to take control of matches given his obvious talent.
He also praised Ronald Araújo’s aggressive approach at right-back, describing the defender’s physicality and commitment as valuable qualities for Liverpool.
Heskey wants more from Wirtz
Speaking exclusively with BestBettingSites, Heskey said of the German: “I don’t know about Florian Wirtz justifying his price tag.
“I think he’s just finding his feet a little bit.
“It’s been a very difficult time for him coming into a different league – a league that’s a lot quicker, a lot stronger, a lot more intense – and finding where you actually fit within that.
“He’s found it very difficult, and he’s still finding it hard now even though he’s scored and putting in performances where people say he’s showing potential.
“He’s got to show a little bit more still to really grab games by the scruff of the neck. That’s the sort of player that we need.
“You know he’s got the talent to dominate games, and that is what we want to see him do.”
READ MORE: Soccer news: Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas win 2026 Ballon d’Or awards in London
Araújo exactly what Liverpool need
On Araújo, Heskey added: “I think Ronald Araújo has been fantastic since he joined the club.
“I like him playing at right-back. He’s aggressive with it as well. That’s exactly what is needed at Liverpool at times.
“I think the football can look pretty, and it always looks nice when your defenders can play out from the back, but you need someone who’s going to do the dirty, the nitty-gritty, the tackles – the tackles that put forwards on notice and tell them, ‘this is not going to be an easy ride.’
“He seems like one of those [players].
“On Saturday, against Brighton, there were a couple of challenges [like that].
“You can see he’s one of those players where when he makes a challenge, it’s like a goal for him and he’s shouting and screaming.
“That’s what you need.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: F1 news: Mexico City GP preview – Kimi Antonelli targets historic title as Sergio Pérez returns home with Cadillac
Nicole Powell 
SportJustSport writers 
Juliette White