Florian Wirtz has been on the receiving end of some harsh criticism from Jamie Carragher and other pundits this season, but the Liverpool playmaker isn't worried

Florian Wirtz has brushed off the harsh words of his critics, insisting he is not interested in their opinions.

Wirtz has proven to be a hugely divisive player since Liverpool splashed out £116.5million to sign him from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025. The Germany international arrived with an exciting reputation to go alongside his sky-high price tag and is yet to fully convince.

He flattered to deceive in his debut campaign under the management of Arne Slot, but appears to be finding his feet under Andoni Iraola. Liverpool picked up their fourth straight win on Sunday by beating Brighton and Wirtz made a telling contribution.

It was his shot which cannoned off Pascal Gross to make it 1-0 before Bradley Barcola set up Alexander Isak to double the lead minutes later. He was forced off in the second half with a knock but still spoke to reporters post-match.

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"Maybe I'm just an interesting guy, you know?" Wirtz joked to the BBC when asked about the focus on his performances.

"No, I just play my football, and if people want to talk about me or judge me, that's their job. I am not focusing on that. I just want to play football, and more, I cannot do."

Wirtz was replaced in the 65th minute after needing some treatment on the field, but Iraola played down the severity of the problem. "Unfortunately, he had to leave the pitch with a small twist of the ankle," he told Sky Sports. "It doesn't look very big but we are playing every three days so we need to see where he is."

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Wirtz now has one goal and three assists this season. His fiercest critic has undoubtedly been Jamie Carragher, who has consistently criticised his performances, claiming Liverpool are yet to see value for their investment.

"There is no way Wirtz should be playing ahead of Gravenberch. What Florian Wirtz is doing for Liverpool is not enough right now. He’s played 55, 60 games for Liverpool," Carragher said after the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City.

“He shouldn’t be in the Liverpool team right now. I don’t want to hammer Liverpool players. But we’re not saying this after five-ten games, we’re saying this after 50-60 games.

“Wirtz never looks like scoring a goal. You don’t come away thinking he missed chances or he worked the goalkeeper. There was absolutely nothing today where you thought he put someone through, or nearly scored. There’s absolutely no goal threat whatsoever.”

In September, Carragher claimed: "I don't think Wirtz is in poor form since he came to Liverpool. I actually think what we're seeing is what he is."

He added: "I don't see how he's going to hurt you. It's just neat and tidy. And in some way, the price tag for that type of player should be half of what Liverpool have paid. The worry for Wirtz now is that his performances so far, or what he's given Liverpool, is so low."