PSV Eindhoven manager Peter Bosz says Florian Wirtz is the ‘biggest talent’ he has worked with and expects him to shine despite slow Liverpool start

Bosz was in charge of the Bundesliga side at the time and remembers Wirtz making an instant impact when given a chance to step up to the first team.

“He was 16 when he joined us. He was for the under-19 squad. They brought him in from Koln,” Bosz told TNT Sports.

“I remember it was Corona (COVID-19 pandemic) and I asked my sporting director, ‘how is the young kid doing?’ and he said ‘well, he’s doing really well’. I said ‘let him train with us’. He trained with us and I never let him go.

“This was, for me, the biggest talent I have ever seen. I’ve worked around with some really good talents but what I saw with him was incredible. Technically, perfect. Very intelligent. Good mentality.

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“I played him as a right winger in the beginning but he did so good that I put him in his position, the 10 position, and never changed it,” he said.

Wirtz went on to score 57 goals in 197 appearances for Leverkusen and helped them to their very first Bundesliga title in the 2023-24 season.

His success at club level, paired with being a regular for the German national team, meant Wirtz caught the eye of many big clubs around Europe.

However, Wirtz has struggled to make a big impact so far on Merseyside and is yet to score for his new club.

But Bosz is confident his former player will soon be lighting up the Premier League.

“I’m sure, I’m really sure, because he is intelligent,” Bosz said. “Those players, they always find the solutions what they have to do, where they have to progress and how to protect themselves and be able to play in the Premier League so I’m confident he will succeed.”

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Manager Arne Slot gave no update on his condition during his pre-match press conference.

For Bosz, he is looking forward to his first match at Anfield, saying: “It’s a big honour to play here, to be honest. For me, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world.

“For me, it’s the same level as Real Madrid, Barca, these kind of clubs. I’ve never been here, it’s my first time so I’m looking forward (to it).”

With Slot arriving at Anfield from their Dutch rivals Feyenoord, Bosz has had plenty of previous head-to-heads with the Liverpool boss.

Speaking about meeting him again, Bosz said: “For me, it’s more important to play Anfield.

“I like him. He’s a good man, a good person and also a good coach and it’s always great to see him.

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Bosz has lost just once against Slot and got the better of him last season as PSV beat Liverpool 3-2 in the final game of the league phase.

Asked about what he can take from that match into their latest showdown, Bosz said: “Nothing, because they were already qualified. Also, it was the last game, I think, in the tournament and both teams played other players

“He played a lot of young players and I also played a lot of players that weren’t starting members normally.”