PL legend is confident that Darwin Nunez can become a ‘world-class striker’

Posted by

Alan Shearer is confident that Darwin Nunez will soon be firing on all cylinders for Liverpool and believes that because the Uruguayan is ‘regularly getting good opportunities’ there’s no need for Reds fans to be concerned.

The 23-year-old was signed from Benfica for an initial £64m in the summer and has netted 10 goals in 23 appearances so far for Jurgen Klopp’s side – a tally that deserves some respect according to the Newcastle legend.

“10 goals isn’t such a bad marker,” the Newcastle legend told The Athletic. “In the Premier League era, only Robbie Fowler, Fernando Torres, Daniel Sturridge, Salah and Diogo Jota have got there sooner for Liverpool. 

“He’s got lightning pace, which defenders hate, he gets into good spaces and he can finish well. When the ball comes to him at speed, he’s deadly. It’s when he has time to think about it; that’s when it doesn’t go right. He snatches at the ball and rushes it.

“To return to the start, if Nunez wasn’t regularly getting good opportunities I’d be fearful for him and Liverpool, but he is.

“If you’re a scout looking at some of his goals and have never seen him miss the chances that he has, you’d think this guy is unbelievable. He has great variation in his goals — scoring with his right foot, his left foot, and some great headers, too, against West Ham United (in the Premier League) and Ajax (in the Champions League).

READ MORE: ‘If they lose…’ – Liverpool warned that defeat at Brighton could end top four hopes

Some of the criticism Nunez has received since moving to the Premier League has been simply unfair.

There’s no denying that the Uruguay international has missed some huge chances, but he’s also scored some great goals and has impressed with his exemplary work rate.

It must be remembered that the rest of Jurgen Klopp’s squad has so far struggled to reach the levels of last season and injuries to the likes of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz have been felt massively.

Shearer believes it’s important for people to remember that our new forward is still young and therefore has plenty of time to become a ‘world-class’ striker.

“It’s easy to forget that Nunez only experienced two seasons of first-division European football before making the move to Liverpool,” he added. “Before joining Benfica in 2020, his only taste of football outside South America was in Spain’s Segunda Division for Almeria. 

“The point is, he has plenty of time to become the world-class striker that all his attributes suggest he could be and he has plenty of knowledgeable people at Liverpool to help him get there, including the fans who continue to back him.

“For now, it’s about the training ground, knuckling down, practising relentlessly, finding comfort in that toil and honing those skills. He’ll get there.”

We agree with everything the 52-year-old has said about Nunez.

He’s arrived in a new country and is attempting to learn a new language all while trying to understand what Klopp wants from him.

We’re confident that he’ll soon be finding the back of the net regularly and are hoping for a big performance from him against Brighton on Saturday.

Exclusive: Every word of our Sofyan Amrabat interview with Аnas Bakhkhar – will the Moroccan sign for the Reds?

More Stories Alan Shearer Darwin Nunez Liverpool