Florian Wirtz must keep pushing to maintain his recent levels after finally ending his wait for a Liverpool goal, so says Virgil van Dijk.
Wirtz broke his Liverpool duck by scoring what turned out to be the winner in a 2-1 victory over Wolves on Saturday.
The Germany international has failed to hit his best form since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, though he was a standout performer against Wolves.
Wirtz completed seven of his nine dribbles, the most by any player for the Reds in a Premier League game since Ryan Gravenberch against West Ham in April 2024.
And Van Dijk now wants to see Wirtz build on his maiden Liverpool goal, with the playmaker having now had 22 shots in the Premier League, for an accumulative expected goals (xG) value of 3.0.
“I was very happy for him,” Van Dijk said.
“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 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 are what I think are 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.”
Liverpool have now gone six league games without a defeat, with Arne Slot’s team sitting in fourth place after 18 matches.
The Reds host Leeds United on January 1.
