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LIVERPOOL: Gary Neville has warned Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak to improve their performance and be more aggressive if they want to succeed with Liverpool.

Both are the most expensive players in Liverpool’s history, with Wirtz’s price reaching 116 million pounds, while Isak’s transfer worth 125 million pounds made him the most expensive player in Premier League history.

However, both endured a disappointing debut season with Liverpool last season as the club finished fifth and lost the Premier League title to Arsenal.

Wirtz and Isak were both named in the starting line-up as Liverpool drew 2-2 with Newcastle United in their opening match of the new season last night.

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However, neither failed to impress as Wirtz was sent off after 63 minutes, while Isak struggled to make an impact in his first appearance at St James’ Park since leaving Newcastle in controversial circumstances last year.

Neville, when commenting on the performance of the two, described Wirtz and Isak as players who were “too good” and needed a harder side to their game.

“The big thing for Liverpool is they have a quarter of a billion pound attacking duo, Isak and Wirtz, and we’ve been too good for them.

“They need to start playing well now. Otherwise, they will receive a lot of criticism. They need to start delivering results.

“For starters, they are too good and if you want to be a good player, you have to be exceptional at football.

“I don’t see the grit in Wirtz in particular — Isak is probably a little better — but Wirtz I see as just a good player who moves around the pitch, but doesn’t really look like he’s giving it his all to do anything,” the Manchester United legend said on the Gary Neville Podcast.

Neville also urged Wirtz to improve his game and be more courageous in taking on the role of a player who creates threats in the attacking area, including producing goals and assists.

“There are better players who glide freely on the pitch like [Mesut] Ozil and [Kai] Havertz, but I want to give him a little ‘rocket’.

“There’s ability and talent there, as well as an understanding of his position. Sometimes I think he moves around too much and doesn’t get close enough to his attackers.

“Sometimes I don’t think he understands where the fight is going to be decided. I also don’t see him joining Isak.

“For me, and I’ve been saying this for 12 months, he moves around too much without direction. Wirtz needs to think about being less involved in building attacks from the bottom.

“He needs to think about being a second striker, not a third midfielder. He also needs to think about the results he needs to provide, including providing Isak with short passes and the ball in the gaps in the central defence,” he said.

However, Neville insisted he still has confidence in both players.

“They need to improve. I’m putting pressure on them now because I’ve been watching them for 12 months, but I still believe in them.

“I think Isak is an extraordinary player. I’ve never seen anyone give Gabriel and Saliba, or Van Dijk and Konate, the kind of trouble he did at Newcastle.

“So, I’ve seen for myself how dangerous he is. My teammates and the Liverpool coaching staff need to see that.

“Wirtz needs to fix himself. Enough is enough. He’s still young and coming to a different country. I can see a great player in him, but we can’t keep seeing performances like this.

“He was taken off after an hour when the team needed a goal. That shouldn’t have happened. My biggest disappointment is those two players,” he added.

Wirtz and Isak will have the opportunity to respond to the criticism on the pitch when Liverpool host Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba, a source close to the Old Trafford club told Reuters on Wednesday.

British media reported that United would pay an initial fee of 65 million pounds, plus up to 5 million pounds in bonuses, with Brighton also acquiring a clause to receive a percentage of the player’s future sales.

Baleba, who will undergo a medical before completing the move, injured an ankle ligament in pre-season, but reports suggest the problem is not expected to affect him long-term.

The 22-year-old Cameroon international will become the third midfielder brought in by United in the summer transfer window after Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos.

Baleba has made 112 appearances since joining Brighton from Lille in 2023 and has long been a target for Michael Carrick’s squad at Old Trafford.

He made 31 league appearances last season, but missed part of Brighton’s campaign while representing Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations.

United, who open their Premier League campaign against newly promoted Hull City tonight, are back in action in the Champions League this season.

LONDON: Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has claimed the 115-charge scandal plaguing Manchester City is “not necessarily a major issue” in his discussions with clubs.

The trial against City over allegations of repeated breaches of English Premier League financial controls ends in December 2024, but the long-awaited verdict has yet to be announced, despite it being more than three years since the club was charged.

Four Premier League clubs have reserved the right to claim compensation if City are found guilty and the situation shows that a large part of the football community is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the case.

However, Masters said the attention in the boardrooms of clubs across England was not as great as expected.

“I talk to the club all the time. It’s not necessarily a topic of discussion that’s at the top of the list.

“There are many other things to discuss and do. The Premier League continues to move forward. The new season starts on Friday night,” Masters said.

Masters previously admitted to being disappointed by the length of time it took for the independent panel to announce its decision, which could see City cleared of the charges or face a historic punishment.

“The process is the process. It will be resolved. But as you know, I really can’t say anything about it.”

“The only option left is to let the process reach its natural conclusion. I cannot speak about the content of the case and cannot speak about the time frame of the case.

“Our rules are very clear on that. I understand people are disappointed, but it will take as long as it takes,” he said.

The English Premier League’s latest domestic broadcasting deal has seen the total payment per match reduced by approximately 2.5 million pounds.

Some have questioned whether the development is a sign that supporters are fed up with the legal action, after Nottingham Forest, Everton and Leicester City were recently deducted points.

However, when asked whether the seemingly lighter punishment, involving a fine of 10 million pounds imposed on Chelsea for several improper payments, showed a tendency to no longer use the penalty of points deduction, Masters denied the matter.

“I don’t think legal action and broadcasting agreements are necessarily related. I do think legal action should be avoided.

“It should be a last resort in the league system or in general. I think that’s the stance that stakeholders in football are taking. Legal action is a last resort.”

LONDON: Liverpool are set to sign Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan, sources have told ESPN.

The agreement also includes an option to make the transfer permanent in the future.

New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola is looking for a defender to strengthen the team’s defence after Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet are still recovering from injuries.

Araujo, who is also Barcelona’s captain, plays as a central defender but is also capable of playing at right-back, making him an important addition for Liverpool who are still missing Conor Bradley due to injury.

The Uruguayan has made 213 appearances for Barcelona’s first team and was part of Uruguay’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, although he was not selected by Marcelo Bielsa’s team.

The weaknesses of Liverpool’s defensive options became apparent during the club’s pre-season tour of the United States when captain Virgil van Dijk was not included in the squad after a challenging 2025-26 season.

Liverpool also lost experience in defence after Ibrahima Konate left the club on a free transfer to join Real Madrid at the end of last season.

Araujo agreed to the offer from the Premier League club after realising that his playing opportunities under Barcelona coach Hansi Flick were not as expected.

The 27-year-old joined Barcelona in 2018 from Uruguayan club Boston River for a transfer fee of 1.5 million euros plus an additional 3 million euros based on certain clauses.

He was promoted to the first team in October 2020 and became a key pillar of the defense before being appointed as one of the team captains.

However, his role has begun to diminish since Flick’s arrival, in addition to being affected by injury problems.

Currently, Barcelona has several central defensive options including Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin and Andreas Christensen.