What Klopp & Lijnders told Nunez to help inspire phenomenal run of form

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Darwin Nunez looks a man ready to tear up the World Cup stage following a strong end to the first-half of the season.

When looking to determine the exact point which inspired a turnaround in his fortunes in the famous red shirt, one may be inclined to nod to a private chat held between the player, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders.

“There were those early struggles following his summer move from Benfica for an initial fee of £64million when he was so desperate to impress he snatched at chances and the red mist descended against Crystal Palace. He found himself warming the bench when some big games came along,” James Pearce wrote for The Athletic.

“The message to him during a heart-to-heart with Klopp and Pep Lijnders at Kirkby was to relax and not be so hard on himself — ignore all the outside noise because only their opinion truly mattered.

“After ending a six-game barren run against Arsenal last month, Nunez started to wreak havoc with his pace and power. He proved himself to be a creator of chaos. It was something of a backhanded compliment. He was box office but also raw and erratic. Decision making wasn’t his strong point. “In a bit of a rush,” was how Klopp politely put it.

“Yet in back-to-back Premier League wins over Tottenham and Southampton, it feels like Nunez has gone to the next stage. Much more polished, more composed. Some rough edges have been ironed out.”

The Uruguayan international is set to link up with former Red Luis Suarez in Qatar after amassing 11 goal contributions in 18 appearances (across all competitions).

READ MORE: James Pearce offers return dates for Jota, Diaz, Keita & Matip

Hopefully, we’ll witness our £64m signing light up the international stage, setting up another launchpad for a fast start to life in the second-half of the campaign.

With Luis Diaz also set to be returning to the fold, followed by Diogo Jota in the January/February period, the short-term future is looking somewhat brighter for Liverpool after such a difficult start to the season.

If Nunez can keep up his recent form after the break, we’ve no doubt that the club will stand a good chance of securing top four football and, potentially, some silverware along the way.

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