Murphy: The intensity of competition in the Premier League is too intense for Wirtz. Liverpool may not sign Walton first

In an interview, Danny Murphy talked about the transfer rumors of Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Walton, as well as the starting performance of Liverpool's new aid Wirtz and other topics.

What do you think of Adam Walton? Should Liverpool sign him?

Well, I like him. I think he's a great player. The game seemed easy to him. I can understand why a lot of teams are interested in him.

I think Liverpool’s current personnel reserves (in the midfield position) are quite sufficient. McAllister is the playmaker, Hrafenberch can also do it, Jones is in the lineup but he doesn't start every game, and Szoboszlai can also play in that position. Hiroshi Endo is on the bench and is a tougher, tougher defensive midfielder.

I think Liverpool’s priority is at the centre-back position. This is obviously a position that people are concerned about.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think any Liverpool fan will be unhappy about Walton joining. But I'm just not sure, at this stage, that's Liverpool's priority.

What do you think of Wirtz’s performance in the opening stages?

I think he's a bit unlucky. If a lot of the chances he created were taken by his teammates, I'm not sure the conversation about him would be as intense now because he does create some very good chances.

If I think back to the Everton games, or even the games against Galatasaray or Chelsea, when he made that incredible back-heel pass to Salah, you see four or five moments in the last three games where he should have had several assists, but it had nothing to do with him, it was just because his teammates didn't handle the finishing touches well.

But he needs to do more. I think he was probably a little surprised by the physical intensity and the intensity of the games in the Premier League.

I mean, his running numbers are pretty good. The problem isn't his running or fitness levels, it's more about the physical impact you feel when you face teams like Newcastle, Arsenal or Crystal Palace, who all have very physical players.

Perhaps in the Bundesliga, most of the games he participated in were not of such high intensity. So, I think that factor might have given him a little bit of a hard time.

But I saw a lot of things in him that I liked. He's a very smart player. So, I'm not really worried about him. I don't think a player at that level is going to be in bad form for long. They always come through and we've seen it in the past. So, I'm not worried about him.