Liverpool fans would no doubt be delighted if Darwin Nunez could reach the same heights that Luis Suarez has in his career – sadly, it’s hard to see that happening at the moment.
Patience is clearly wearing thin among some Liverpool fans with Nunez. His performance against Girona in the Champions League drew backlash from supporters on social media as he once again proved ineffective in leading the Reds’ line.
The 25-year-old subsequently posted a cryptic message on Instagram which appeared to be aimed at his detractors. The facts speak for themselves though, and with just three goals in 19 appearances this season, there is a lot of work for Nunez to do if he’s to win over his doubters.
He retains the faith of Arne Slot for now, but even the Liverpool boss spotted problems with his latest showing, and with Diogo Jota returning to fitness, Nunez’s days as the first-choice No.9 could be numbered. How he could do with taking some of Suarez’s advice right now.
The former Liverpool star has taken Nunez under his wing since he broke into the Uruguay squad. Suarez has been steadfast in his admiration of his protege over the years as he’s looked to pass the baton on as his country’s talisman.
“I love how he plays and I love watching him,” Suarez said of Nunez earlier this year in an interview with AUF TV (as quoted by ESPN). “Since Darwin was in Penarol I had been talking to him, through someone else. There was a game in which he scored three goals that caught my attention. At that time it was said that he missed a lot of goals, but he also generated a lot.
“They criticized me for the same reason, but the important thing is that he always tried to overcome, he never gave up. I always saw special conditions in him. The forward has to be like that, the ambition, the desire to improve, the desire to get ahead of him.”
Despite that backing, Nunez has so far failed to live up to the potential that the likes of Suarez and Jurgen Klopp saw in him at Liverpool. Now in his third season at Anfield, supporters are asking serious questions about his position at the club.
Slot has admitted the striker might be trying too hard to prove himself to supporters, but Suarez has already told him precisely what he needs to do to address his doubters.
“I already spoke with Darwin when he was sanctioned in England,” Suarez said after Nunez was banned for his part in a brawl during this year’s Copa America. “Sometimes people enjoy it more when you are on the ground and fall, but people feel more pain when you get back up.
“And that is what he has to do: get up and continue to show the kind of player he is. That is where you see the great players and the mental strength he has to have to show those people that they like to see him on the ground.”
Nunez’s time at Anfield has certainly been testing, and now more than ever, he needs to show that mental strength. Given what Suarez achieved during his short time at Liverpool, Nunez could do much worse than take his mentor’s advice.
