Gary Neville has not minced words when it comes to Liverpool’s high‑priced attacking duo, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. After a season in which the club has been "kind to" the pair, spending well over £200 million on them, Neville warned that the two have become the Reds’ biggest disappointments and must step up their game if they are to justify their price tags. Neville, speaking on his eponymous podcast, opened by acknowledging the massive financial commitment Liverpool has made: "The big thing for Liverpool is they've got this quarter‑of‑a‑billion‑pound front two, Isak and Wirtz, and bloody hell, we've been kind to them." He went on to stress that kindness will not protect the players from criticism for much longer. "They're going to have to start playing sooner or later or else, to be fair, they're going to get quite a lot of criticism.
For a start, they're too nice, and if you're going to be nice, you'd better be incredible at football," Neville said. The former England defender pointed out that the lack of tenacity on display was glaring, especially from Wirtz. "I don't see the tenacity in Wirtz in particular.
I just see a nice player moving around the pitch, not really ever looking like he's busting a gut to do anything," Neville observed. He added that while a player can sometimes glide across the field with a natural flow, Wirtz needs a spark – "I want to put a rocket up him because there's ability there, there's talent there, the understanding of his position." Both men entered the Premier League season with high expectations after impressive displays in pre‑season friendlies under Liverpool’s new manager, Andoni Iraola. In the opening league match at St James’ Park, however, that optimism evaporated. Isak completed the full 90 minutes in his first return to the venue since his record‑breaking transfer, yet contributed little beyond a brief spell of activity.
Wirtz, on the other hand, was substituted just after the hour mark for Alexis Mac Allister, having failed to make a decisive impact. Neville summed up his frustration succinctly: "The biggest disappointment for me [Sunday] is those two." Despite the harsh assessment, he also expressed a lingering belief in their potential. "I've watched them both for 12 months, and I do actually have faith in them," he said.
"I think Isak's an exceptional player and we've seen it. I never saw anybody give Gabriel and Saliba or Van Dijk and Konate a tougher time as Isak did when he played at Newcastle in a black and white shirt. I've seen him be devastating. Now Liverpool fans and his teammates and coaching staff, they need to see that – because that's £125 million they've spent on him." Regarding Wirtz, Neville urged the German to find his footing in English football.
"He's young and he's come to a different country – and I'm all for willing him on. They have both had a bit of a free ride.
Obviously Isak was injured last season but Arne Slot loses his job, and Wirtz has played like that, so let's be clear, this has got me to start some real focus now. I can see a real player there, but can't keep watching this stuff and he's been subbed after an hour and they need a goal, but they're 2‑1 down, so no that's not right," he explained. Neville also dissected Wirtz’s role on the pitch, suggesting that the 23‑year‑old has been playing too far from the striker and too often drifts away from the decisive zones of the final third. "Sometimes I think he moves around too much.
Sometimes I don't think he's close enough to his striker, I don't think he understands where the game's going to be won and lost," Neville remarked. He drew parallels with traditional No‑10s who, when they wander too deep or too wide, often draw the ire of their managers.
"The game's not going to be won out there, the game's not going to be won back there, the game's going to be won in the final third, in and around the box. Combining with your striker, getting crosses in, getting little passes, getting little side passes down the side of the centre‑backs, being close enough to your forward so that you can combine with him.
And I don't see him combining with Isak." To remedy this, Neville advocated a shift in Wirtz’s mindset: "I just feel like Wirtz has got to think about being involved in the build‑up less and think about being a second striker. He's got to think about his output and what he needs to do, and that is feed Isak with little passes down the side of centre‑backs.
He might only get the ball two or three times in that position in tight games where teams are lying deep." The criticism comes against a backdrop of a season that has already seen Liverpool struggle to translate pre‑season promise into league points. While Isak’s nine‑figure move from Bayer Leverkusen was heralded as a statement of intent, his contributions have been modest, with only eight league goal involvements recorded since his arrival. Wirtz, who dazzled as a shadow striker in the friendly that ended 3‑2 to Monaco, has yet to replicate that form in the Premier League.
Neville’s comments highlight a broader narrative in modern football: the pressure on clubs to deliver immediate returns on massive investments. When a player is purchased for a sum that rivals the total annual turnover of many clubs, expectations soar.
Fans, media, and internal stakeholders alike demand not just flashes of brilliance but consistent, match‑winning performances. In summary, Neville’s verdict is clear: Liverpool’s marquee signings must stop relying on goodwill and start producing tangible results. The club’s hierarchy, coaching staff, and the players themselves need to address the tactical and mental aspects that have hampered their output so far. If Wirtz can refine his positioning and adopt a more direct, second‑striker mentality, and if Isak can rediscover the ferocity that made him a nightmare for defenders at Newcastle, Liverpool may yet turn the tide.
Until then, the criticism will continue, and the £200 million‑plus investment will remain under intense scrutiny.