Liverpool told what they need to do to get the most out of Darwin Nunez by Gus Poyet
Darwin Nunez has blown hot and cold in his two seasons at Liverpool but his compatriot Gus Poyet believes he knows the key to unlocking the Uruguayan's potential
Former Uruguay star Gus Poyet believes Liverpool need to show Darwin Nunez he's a guaranteed starter at number nine in order to bring out the striker's international form at club level.
Nunez joined Liverpool in the summer of 2022 in a deal which could reach a club record fee if all add-ons are met. He has scored 33 times in 96 games for the Reds, but questions remain after he ended his second season on a 10-game run without a goal.
It has been a different story at international level. The 24-year-old scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 friendly victory over Mexico in June and followed it up with two goals at the Copa America as Marcelo Bielsa's team reached the semi-finals, though he was involved in an ugly brawl after the defeat to Colombia in the final four.
He has averaged close to a goal every other game at international level, and is the top scorer in South American World Cup qualifying with five goals. While he's yet to replicate that form at club level, former Chelsea and Spurs star Poyet - a Copa America winner with Uruguay in the 1990s - has a sense of what it will take.
"From outside, without knowing what is going on inside, the difference for me now is when he goes to Uruguay he knows he's the number nine," Poyet exclusively told Mirror Football courtesy of Free Bets. "There is no other. It doesn't matter if Luis Suarez is in the squad or not in the squad, the number nine is Darwin Nunez.
"I think from outside, when he's at Liverpool he doesn't know if he's the number nine. One day it looks like it, and the next week it's not, then in midweek no, then yes for three games and then no [again].
"I think sometimes certain players - again, from outside, without knowing - they need to have that feeling that 'I'm the number nine, I'm going to play, I'm going to score 25 goals', and that's what he's doing with the national team. I think he had that extra bit of confidence and security that he's going to be playing all the time."
Can Liverpool unlock Nunez's potential this season? Have your say in the comments section
Nunez's missed chances during the run-in harmed Liverpool's title chances under Jurgen Klopp, with the Reds finishing third in their manager's final season in charge. Arne Slot has since come into the dugout, though, and the Dutchman will have decisions to make.
Liverpool are well-stocked in attack, with Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo set to link up with the squad after their international exploits. Gakpo will return off three goals at Euro 2024 - enough to earn him a share of the Golden Boot - while Jota will be after minutes following a tough time with injury last term.
Mohamed Salah has already shown Slot what he can offer, featuring in the new manager's first pre-season game. With the Egyptian out of contract next summer, though, there may be an opportunity for the ex-Feyenoord boss to back Nunez as a long-term option.
"I watched him a lot the first year, I watched him a lot last year," Poyet added. "I thought he got better during many periods of last year but again Liverpool were playing too many games, they were in every competition, they needed to change.
"It's natural - you have plenty of players, everybody wants to do a little bit. In Uruguay it's different. Every three months or two months he goes there, two games, bang! He plays, 90 minutes. And that I think for him, his characteristics and his mentality, it looks like it's great.
"So can he do something similar in Liverpool or another club, to be that player who's going to play number nine? To go back to Chelsea - 10 years ago, who's the number nine? It's Drogba. If we play Real Madrid it's Drogba and if we play Bayern Munich it's Drogba. And that feeling of being the player that's going to play those games, it feels to me that it works well for Darwin."
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