Darwin Nunez handed Liverpool blessing after German manager Jurgen Klopp’s injury concerns’ admission, amid criticism from supporters.
New Liverpool acquisition Darwin Nunez has already received some harsh criticism, but because the Reds are concerned about injuries, some of the heat has been lifted off of him.
Darwin Nunez, a newcomer at Liverpool, is already under a lot of criticism from certain quarters, but the Uruguayan hitman can find solace in the suffering of one of his teammates.
The 23-year-old not only has high expectations from some given that he joined for a possible club-record £85 million fee, but he also has a lot of ground to make up after taking over for Reds legend Sadio Mane earlier this summer. Nunez is in the middle of a perfect storm of pressure when you add in the fact that Manchester City, Liverpool’s main competitor, has signed none other than Erling Haaland.
Even though the former Benfica player has just played around 75 minutes for his new team in two pointless exhibition games against Manchester United and Crystal Palace, the striker has already received unfair criticism. Criticism that Jurgen Klopp, his manager, called “funny.”
When asked if the expectations placed on his new signing should be reduced, Klopp answered, “I’m not scared at all. “We have zero interest in the overall verdict [on Nunez].” We are all aware that it will be this way.
“Picking out instances where a player isn’t doing well is something some individuals do as a game or joke. It’s merely a game between supporters of different teams, which is typical. The same is undoubtedly true with Manchester United signings for our supporters. This is not a major matter.”
Nunez has played just two non-competitive games for Liverpool, but Klopp already feels the need to defend his new center-forward and reiterate how he is still “totally persuaded” of the player’s potential. Regarding the exorbitant price tag currently attached to the striker, Klopp continued, “We should be the first to erase the sum we spent from our minds. It doesn’t matter.
With strikers, it works like this. He missed an opportunity, prompting some alarmed individuals to exclaim, “Oh my goodness, he wasted a chance.” It won’t be the last, I can assure you of that.
And it’s not likely to be the last time the haters turn out in force to disparage Nunez at every chance they get. There will be a rising number of skeptics with each minute that goes by during which Liverpool’s new No. 27 fails to score.
Darwin Nunez has already responded to those who have questioned his talents with a social media post, but the best way to convince the doubters will be, as the saying goes, to prove them wrong on the field of play. Nunez will in fact get that chance in the upcoming months, especially in light of Diogo Jota’s ongoing injury issues.
In addition to admitting that the 25-year-old Portuguese striker will miss the match against City in the Community Shield at the end of this month, Klopp has acknowledged that he is “worried” about the forward, who is presently dealing with a hamstring ailment. Although the news will alarm both Klopp and Jota, Nunez will probably benefit from the setback because of the injury.
Nunez already finds himself in the public eye and under close scrutiny, so the knowledge that the dependable Jota is standing by will only make matters worse. Jota poses the greatest danger to Nunez in Liverpool’s starting XI, despite the fact that Roberto Firmino is still a viable attacking option.
Nunez is now under constant strain, but the news of his injury setback should at least relieve some of that pressure and give him a little more breathing room to get going, especially when the Reds’ Premier League season officially kicks off on Saturday, August 6, against Fulham. Given the circumstances of his arrival, Nunez was always going to face enormous pressure, but he could hardly have predicted that some people would set the bar as high as they appear to have.
Nunez, though, seems to have received the reprieve he sorely needs as Jota is expected to spend some time on the sidelines. As they say, one man’s loss is another man’s gain.
