Florian Wirtz lacks the hunger to score goals for Liverpool, which puts him behind a handful of his Premier League rivals.
That's the view of Gabby Agbonlahor, with the German international eyeing a much-improved season amid interest from Bayern Munich.
Wirtz made a slow start to life at Liverpool following his ã116.5million move from Bayer Leverkusen in June 2025 and later ended his debut campaign with seven goals and ten assists in 49 outings.
A total 17 goal contributions is by no means poor but many fans will have expected more given his price tag, despite him not being able to influence it.
The 23-year-old is yet to score this season but has the opportunity to end his drought in the Carabao Cup third round tonight at Anfield.
Liverpool host a struggling Tottenham Hotspur, live on talkSPORT 2, days after being held to 0-0 draw by Fulham in the Premier League.
Looking ahead to the cup tie against Spurs, former Aston Villa striker Agbonlahor explained on talkSPORT Breakfast what he believes Wirtz lacks in front of goal.
"When you look at his stats... we don't want to go on just stats, but five goals, four assists in 37 Premier League appearances.
He added: "There was a player at Aston Villa, I won't name his name, but he was the best player on the training pitch. In the little five-a-sides, you couldn't get near him, the best player.
"Then when he got onto an 11-a-side pitch, he didn't really do it. I look at him (Wirtz) and say, 'He would definitely be the best player in training, but he seems a bit lightweight'.
"Against Atletico Madrid (in the Champions League, 2-1 win), he was better, he was making some great passes in behind.
"But he needs the hunger to score that Rayan Cherki has got, Cole Palmer has got, Martin Odegaard has now got, Bruno Fernandes.
"When you're that number 10... it's a lucky position to play. When I played it at Villa a handful of times, I loved it in there!
"I'd roam around wherever I liked, get on the ball and make things happen. He needs to do a lot more than what he's doing."
Bayern 'keeping an eye' on Wirtz?
Although Wirtz has underwhelmed at Liverpool, recent reports have linked him with German giants Bayern.
A move to the Bundesliga champions would grant him a return to the league in which he made a name for himself as a promising prospect.
Wirtz registered 35 goals and 47 assists across 140 league appearances in the top flight of German football with Leverkusen.
And when assessing the reported Bayern interest, European football journalist Andy Brassell hinted that they could be keen on a move if he continues to falter at Liverpool.
"We've seen moments where he's looked really, really good for them, I thought he was great in the Champions League last week against Atletico," he told talkSPORT on Hawksbee and Jacobs.
"But the thing is, when you cost that much money, people are expecting a lot of bang for their buck pretty quickly.
"He stepped into a situation at Liverpool where he was, sort of, expected to be the new centre point of the team, but Mo Salah was still there.
"Liverpool were a mess last season, and I don't think that was Florian Wirtz's fault. So, it is difficult.
"I would be really surprised if Bayern weren't keeping half an eye on him, to see how the situation decants.
"Because maybe it won't work, I think we have to bear that in mind as a possibility."