Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez is emerging as a ‘big, big problem’ for opposing defenders as he continues to find his feet at Anfield, according to former Reds defender Glen Johnson. Nunez endured a mixed bag in his debut season at Liverpool but has fared better this time around and is quickly establishing himself as a sure-fire starter.
The Uruguay international has bagged seven goals and six assists in all competitions so far but is currently on a run of five games without scoring. Johnson believes that Nunez has proven himself as a valuable player in spite of his ongoing goal drought, though, and is backing him to keep improving for as long as he retains Jurgen Klopp’s trust.
“I really do believe that he has the potential to kick on,” Johnson told Betfred. “Even when he’s not scoring, he’s still a problem for the opposition and creating chances for others. It’s a bigger problem for strikers when they’re not having any effect on the game, but Darwin is strong, aggressive, creative and he’ll still bag a lot.
“He may not be the greatest goalscoring machine at the moment, but he’s a big, big problem for defenders to play against and if he scores on a more regular basis, then he’s going to put himself in that conversation.”
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Nunez has started in five of Liverpool’s last six Premier League matches despite his lack of recent goals, with Klopp clearly still a fan of what he brings to the team. He will be hoping to get back on the scoresheet as quickly as possible in order to recapture his form, starting with a goal against Fulham on Sunday.
Klopp underlined his confidence in Nunez last month, with the Reds manager insisting that he has every chance of realising his sky-high potential if he keeps working hard to extract the best from himself on a regular basis.
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“The speed, the finishing skills, the desire he has… when he’s fit he is really fit so he can go and go again,” said Klopp. “You just don’t know where he will end up. He came in for really big money. It shows again that players need time. We forget that.
“With [Wataru] Endo, just because of the age people think: ‘Why is he not like that?’. He is a different character to the other boys and you can see the steps he is making. He has another five years of top football in his legs. He has a lot of potential and he never played on this level before.
“Now consistently I am really happy with him, so that’s the same story [with Nunez]. People always say: ‘How long will it take?’. But Darwin is here, Darwin is fully here and it’s different. It’s good for him.”
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