£85M Liverpool Star Is Averaging A Goal Every 106 Minutes

To the surprise of some, Darwin Nunez has risen above biting criticism to become one of the most exciting forwards in the Premier League this season.

When Nunez was initially signed, there were those who doubted whether he could deliver the performances required to justify his high price tag.

The Uruguayan joined the club for a fee that could reach £85 million if performance-related bonuses are triggered. The former Benfica star struggled to find consistency in his performances last season.

His performances this season have surely left the sceptics silenced.

Liverpool are seeing the best of Darwin Nunez this season

Despite facing criticism for his slow start at Liverpool, Nunez managed to score 15 goals in his first season at the club. That's significantly lower than the 34 he managed during the 2021/22 season in Portugal.

To put this in context, Nunez has been finding the back of the net every 106 minutes on average, a statistic that positions him as one of the most effective strikers in the Premier League.

This scoring record is remarkable, especially considering the lack of quality in midfield last season. Despite playing with very little support at times, he managed 19 goal contributions in all competitions.

In fact, despite shuffling tactics and changes in Liverpool's lineup, Nunez has punctuated every stumble with excitement, goals and passion.

This season, with the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister in midfield, he is thriving. It must be noted how, considering the poor midfield displays last season, that scoring 15 goals was actually quite an achievement.

Nunez has not only scored but has also displayed a tireless work ethic, integrating into Liverpool’s high-press system, and improving his overall game under Jurgen Klopp.

What more can Nunez do to improve?

At the rate he is currently improving, it seems Nunez just needs to keep training hard and listening to his coaches.

Speaking ahead of Liverpool's 3-1 win over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, assistant coach Pep Lijnders revealed the extent of the turnaround in form for the 24-year-old.

Lijnders said: "Compliments to Darwin, the fans love him. He has this extreme mentality to run and fight and arrive in positions no-one thinks he can arrive.

"It's nice to see him in the good moments, it's nice to see him positive, starting games in a row back-to-back and you see immediately what this does to a player. He is a pure intuition player. He smells goals and he sees and he does.

"An intuition player like Darwin, he needs this kind of confidence. He speaks better English already, he invests a lot in himself. And it's like every person everywhere, you need success, no? A player with confidence or without is just a different player. So it is important he is confident and he is training really really hard."

Liverpool are going to need Nunez to be in top form throughout the season if they are to sustain a Premier League title challenge.

By all indications, he seems set to truly explode into life at Anfield.