Wirtz, signed for £116m from Bayer Leverkusen, started in an unfamiliar false nine role and impressed with sharp movement and passing.
Liverpool’s record signing Florian Wirtz made his debut in a 4–2 defeat to AC Milan at a sold-out Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on Saturday, as speculation surrounds the futures of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.
Wirtz, signed for £116m from Bayer Leverkusen, started in an unfamiliar false nine role and impressed with sharp movement and passing. However, both Nunez and Diaz were absent, with manager Arne Slot revealing that Nunez was injured while Diaz was excluded due to “speculation on his future.”
Rafael Leao put Milan ahead against the run of play before Dominik Szoboszlai equalised with a brilliant curler. Milan took control in the second half with goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Noah Okafor. Cody Gakpo’s late header briefly gave Liverpool hope, but a defensive mix-up allowed Okafor to seal his brace.
Before kick-off, Sir Kenny Dalglish laid a wreath in tribute to Diogo Jota, who recently died in a car crash. Players wore ‘Diogo J 20’ on their shirts in his honour.
Liverpool’s defensive concerns deepened after Joe Gomez returned to England with an Achilles injury, leaving them short at centre-back.
Slot confirmed interest in reinforcements but insisted “we have enough options” for now.