Nine chances. Florian Wirtz laid on more openings for teammates at Brentford on Saturday than any Liverpool player had managed in a single Premier League match since Sadio Mané did it against Burnley in January 2021. His through ball set up Víctor Muñoz’s equaliser before Alexander Isak closed out a 2-1 win in west London.

Three days later, Dietmar Hamann is still writing him off.

The former Liverpool and Germany midfielder told GiveMeSport the club-record signing from Bayer Leverkusen has stopped believing he can succeed in England, and that head coach Andoni Iraola has not managed to turn him around.

“In terms of Wirtz and his time in a Liverpool shirt, it’s been tough,” Hamann said. “The manager said when he came in, he would play in the number 10 position, but his performance hasn’t been better than last season.”

Read also: Bonmatí is off the list and the Women’s Ballon d’Or is anyone’s to take

“I know how talented he is and what he is capable of, but I think he has lost all faith and belief in his abilities. I don’t think he believes he can cut it in the Premier League. I don’t see it happening for Wirtz at Liverpool.”

The teammate who could not look away

Hamann’s verdict landed on the same morning a very different reading of Wirtz surfaced in Germany.

Freiburg right-back Philipp Treu, called into Jürgen Klopp’s senior Germany squad last month, told the German tabloid Bild that the training-pitch experience with Wirtz left him searching for a reference point.

“When he gets going, it sometimes looks as though he’s playing against an U19 side,” said the 25-year-old. “He comes up with solutions that make you wonder: how does he do that?”

Read also: Erling Haaland’s extraordinary $10,000 shopping trip takes a bizarre turn

Treu made his senior debut in Germany’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in Amsterdam in September, playing the full 90 minutes at right-back. He had never shared a professional pitch with Wirtz before the camp.

“Standing on the training pitch with Florian Wirtz for the first time and seeing what he’s capable of was impressive,” Treu added. “His technique in tight spaces is exceptional.”

Wirtz has seven goals and 13 assists in 58 appearances since the club-record move from Bayer Leverkusen. The 23-year-old is in line to face Villarreal at Anfield in the Champions League on Tuesday, with kick-off at 8pm local time.

Read also: Lando Norris admits he is being treated differently in F1 after becoming world champion