91% pass completion: Neil Mellor ‘enjoyed watching’ one Liverpool player in particular v Milan | OneFootball

Neil Mellor has said that he ‘enjoyed watching’ one player in particular for Liverpool despite their 4-2 defeat to AC Milan on Saturday.

The Reds ended up on the losing side in the first match of their pre-season tour to the Far East, with Arne Slot’s team alarmingly susceptible on the counterattack as the Rossoneri capitalised on that with three of their goals in Hong Kong.

Despite the result, there were some positives for the Premier League champions to take, not least the dazzling performance of 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, and he wasn’t the only LFC player to receive praise for his efforts at Kai Tak Sports Park.

Mellor praises Florian Wirtz’s performance

Mellor – who also lauded the efforts of Dominik Szoboszlai – took to X with his verdict on the Liverpool game a couple of hours after the final whistle.

He expressed his satisfaction with a ‘great turnout from the fans’ in Hong Kong and also praised Florian Wirtz for his display against Milan, with the former Reds striker saying that he ‘enjoyed watching’ the club-record signing earlier today.

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Wirtz already showing hugely promising signs at Liverpool

The Germany playmaker – who operated as a ‘false 9’ alongside Harvey Elliott – was indeed a standout performer during his 45 minutes on the pitch at Kai Tak Sports Park.

Paul Gorst handed him an 8/10 in his post-match player ratings for the Liverpool Echo, hailing him as a ‘silky smooth operator in possession’; while The Athletic‘s James Pearce described him as a ‘joy to watch’ and someone who is ‘going to be a serious asset’ for the Reds in the upcoming season.

As per Sofascore, Wirtz completed 29 of his 32 passes (91% accuracy) and executed one successful dribble against Milan, offering a promising hint of things to come at Anfield over the next few months.

His eye for a pass is reminiscent of Trent Alexander-Arnold and will surely unpick quite a few Premier League defences in 2025/26, with one particularly delightful ball to Elliott not capitalised upon by the England under-21 star.

Mellor is far from alone in being hugely impressed by Liverpool’s £116m man in Hong Kong, and the thought of what he might produce on Merseyside is an incredibly exciting one for Reds supporters!