Right-back says teammate is “just happy to play football” and “takes pressure really well”
Jeremie Frimpong believes Liverpool teammate Florian Wirtz has the mentality and quality to thrive at Anfield despite the scrutiny that has followed his £116m move.
Wirtz arrived from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer as one of Europe’s most coveted young midfielders, and expectations have been high from the outset. The 22-year-old has quietened some of the noise after opening his Liverpool account with a goal in last month’s win over Wolves.
Frimpong, who also made the switch from Leverkusen and knows Wirtz well, is adamant that the early noise will fade.
“When I heard he was coming [to Liverpool], it put a smile on my face because we basically started our Leverkusen career together and we’re starting our Liverpool career together as well,” Frimpong said.
“I know how good of a player Flo is. Like I said in plenty of interviews, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have won a double with Leverkusen. We know how good he is and to see him doing it now, this is just the start. There’s plenty more to come from him.”
Frimpong believes the attention around Wirtz’s transfer fee has had little effect on the player himself.
“I think Flo is the type of player that doesn’t care about these things [like] the price tag,” Frimpong said. “He’s just happy to play football. For me personally, I think Flo takes pressure really well. He’s just a guy that loves the ball at his feet. When he plays, he’s just enjoying it.
“What was it, £116m? So [from] the outside it’s like, ‘whoa’. But he doesn’t care about all that. He knows how good he is. He just wants to play.”
Frimpong has seen his own first months at Liverpool disrupted by injury. A hamstring problem suffered on the opening day of the season was followed by a setback against Eintracht Frankfurt in October, reducing his early impact under Arne Slot.
Now back to full fitness, the Netherlands international says his focus is on contributing wherever he is needed, whether at right-back or further forward.
“I’ve been injured for a long time,” he said. “I just want to play football. You could say that I missed playing, so, of course, I’m happy to be back on the pitch. But I want to win as well.
“It was really, really tough because, touch wood, I’m not really the type of guy that gets injured. So it was really difficult for me to deal with, but I had my family around me, so that was good.
“I’m just happy to be back on the pitch. I’m just happy to play football, to just contribute and help my team. I play the same, regardless if I play at right-back, or I play right wing. I just use my ability and my speed so it doesn’t matter to me.”
