Liverpool’s star £85M signing has been tipped for a role as an impact substitute for now, but will that keep him happy?
Having signed for a huge fee and putting pen to paper on a six-year-deal, Darwin Nunez is seen as the long-term successor to Liverpool’s frontline.
However, all isn’t well at Anfield right now with the 23-year-old struggling to really cement his place as the main man down the middle and an indifferent start has not helped his cause.
Neither has the return of Diogo Jota, who’s now back and fully fit and back assisting goals as he did in the 2-1 win over Ajax. Jota is tried and tested and Nunez is not – which means during a time of indifferent form from the team as a whole, Nunez will have to take a backseat role for now.
You have to remember, Nunez is a young, hungry and active personality and he won’t want to sit on the sidelines for too long. After all, he was the leading man for 41 games last season and 44 the season prior (20/21) and now he’ll be raring to prove his doubters wrong.
What a goal by Darwin Nunez tho 😍🤩 pic.twitter.com/YsCTlTLvRO
— Chloe bloxam (@ChloeBloxam) August 6, 2022
Nunez tipped for impact sub role
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Westerveld, speaking on the Football Show on Sky Sports, believes he is better off as an impact substitute for now, as he has to first understand how to play in this Liverpool side.
“To be honest, he is a player, at the beginning of the season, when he came on for the last half an hour, he made a massive difference.”
“I remember the game against Manchester City. In pre-season, he was a different player when he came on than when he started the game, for example. Crystal Palace also.”
“If you have a player like that, I tell everyone before the game that ‘I hope he’s on the bench for the last 30 minutes’. Sometimes you have a player, maybe because he’s new and he has to adapt still.”
“In those 30 minutes, especially at home, he can go full speed and you can see what a quality player he is. I know they are working on him tactically and physically as well. It’s not easy to play for Liverpool with the physicality and the high press they play.”
All five of Liverpool's goals against RB Leipzig last night, including a quadruple from Darwin Núñez and some silky play from Fabio Carvalho. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JSnjwjWJGN
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) July 22, 2022
Will Nunez be happy with that?
It doesn’t matter how he feels – it’s a team game and right now the best thing for the team is to play Jota, especially during a time when they need to develop some form.
Nunez is a fiery and intense forward who always gives 110% when he plays, but will he be happy sitting on the bench for long periods of the season?
Sadly for the Uruguayan, that will be the case for at least the next month as Liverpool look to build some form and momentum after a tricky start.
His rawness in this team doesn’t quite gel with their current form. Whereas someone like Jota, who’s already been here for a few seasons, makes more sense as we saw against Ajax.
Don’t forget – Nunez signed a six-year deal which means he’s likely to be at the club for a long time – but he will have to bide his time before he fully establishes himself in this side.
We know his qualities and we know he won’t like that, but it may be necessary for now.
