Jurgen Klopp makes strong Florian Wirtz claim and sends message to Liverpool players

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken about the potential of Florian Wirtz ahead of the World Cup

Jurgen Klopp is convinced Liverpool attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz will blossom into a "standout player" - as he sent a message to his former Reds ahead of the World Cup.

Former Anfield boss Klopp has been a long-time admirer of Wirtz, who moved to Liverpool to work under Arne Slot when making a £116million move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.

The 22-year-old has, like many of his team-mates this season, suffered from inconsistent form and an difficult adaptation period, but scored one goal and played a supporting role in another as the Reds beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at home in the Premier League at the weekend.

Wirtz is expected to be a key player for Germany in the forthcoming World Cup with the four-time champions looking to get out of the group stage for the first time since last lifting the trophy in 2014.

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And Klopp said: "I hope Flo Wirtz will have a fantastic, fantastic World Cup. I think he has everything you need to be a standout player.

"I don't want to put any pressure on the boy. I really think he showed already how good he can be in a difficult season."

Klopp, who is now head of global football at Red Bull, will be in attendance at the tournament in North America working for German television as a pundit, as well as in a role as global ambassador for Budweiser.

And, speaking to BBC Sport, Klopp is eager for his former Liverpool players to enjoy a successful finals.

"I hope my players will have a great World Cup," he added. "I hope that Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker can enjoy that when they meet each other.

"Can you imagine that you play together for such a long time and Scotland qualifies first time, I don't know, since when, for the World Cup, and you meet each other, your friends, your mutual friends, and you meet each other in a game like that? I mean, that must be one of the happiest moments in your life.

"I wish Virgil (van Dijk) will have a great tournament. I really wish for Mo (Salah) that he will have a great tournament. I honestly wish that Sadio (Mane) will have a great tournament. Macca (Alexis Mac Allister), if he won, if they win it again. It was so nice to see him with a medal around his neck when he came back to Brighton.

"So many (of my) former players are part of the World Cup, which is really, really nice. And to see how time flies."

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