Liverpool star Florian Wirtz sends message to Sunderland duo Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele ahead of PL clash
Sunderland host Liverpool in the Premier League on Wednesday evening
Liverpool star Florian Wirtz has admitted that he will be “happy” to see former teammates Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele again when the Reds travel to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday, but has insisted that he is solely focused on winning all three points rather than an emotional reunion.
The Germany international played alongside the Black Cats duo during a wildly successful shared stint at Bayer Leverkusen, and could be set to line up opposite Mukiele on Wearside - although Xhaka remains out of action due to an ongoing injury issue.
And in an interview with Liverpool’s official website, Wirtz suggested that any old friendships will be put on hold as he and his current teammates bid to become to first side to beat Sunderland on their own patch in the Premier League this season.
What has Liverpool star Florian Wirtz said ahead of Premier League clash vs Sunderland?
Speaking to the Reds’ in-house media team, he said: “I know two players of them very well, because I played with them in Leverkusen - Xhaka and Mukiele - so I'm happy to see them again. But of course, it's not because I want to see them, I want to take the three points. That's the task for us. We just try everything to get the three points and everything else doesn't matter.”
Wirtz also took some time to reflect on Liverpool’s chastening late defeat to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, adding: "I think we can take a few things from the City game for the rest of the season.
"I think in the end, [it's] my personal opinion and maybe also a few others agree with me, it's that we didn't deserve to lose because we made a good game. Of course, in the first half we didn't have that much control, but we also didn't concede a lot of chances against us. I think we made a quite good game, [won] a lot of duels, especially the second half was good from us. We put pressure on a top team, and I think that we can see that we are in the same [level] and that we compete with top teams.
"That's what we can take from the game and also [it] gives us [confidence] for the rest of the season [that] we know that we can hurt every team. Against Sunderland it's not an easy game now, but we just try to give everything again. We know it's going to be physical, so we just try to bring 100 per cent on the pitch until the last minute and take hopefully the three points home."
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On adapting to life in the Premier League after his big money move from Leverkusen last summer, Wirtz confessed: “I think now I'm already in a better position than I was at the start because I think I got a bit stronger. I spent a lot of time in the gym! But it's also the duels on the pitch and also in training and the extra work after training is helping me. It helps me also for the games, especially the Premier League games. I just want to continue to get better and stronger and more powerful. That can only help to be even better.
“It's also nice to play this kind of football [that is] intense because I can run, I can fight and I like to bring that on the pitch. It just took me a little time to get where I am now, but I don't want to stop there.”