'Unfair to judge Darwin Nunez on goals' - Klopp's Liverpool assistant

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 19 Dec 2023 19:19 GMT
• 3 min read

Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders believes it would be “unfair” to judge Darwin Nunez on his goals tally after a 10-game drought for the Uruguay international.

The 24-year-old, who joined the Reds from Benfica last summer, has not scored since he netted in Liverpool’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth on November 1, while his last Premier League goal came in late October.

In total, Nunez has played 10 games (six starts) since he last found the back of the net for Liverpool, with his place in Jurgen Klopp’s preferred starting XI now under threat.

The Uruguayan scored 15 goals in his debut campaign at Anfield following his €80 million move from Portugal in 2022, and he has notched a further seven so far this term.

In addition, Nunez also has seven assists in 2023-24, something Lijnders was keen to point out ahead of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against West Ham United on Wednesday.

Darwin Nunez praised by Liverpool assistant Lijnders

When questioned about Nunez’s form, Lijnders told the media, as per The Daily Mail: “Darwin is full of desire, you see that in each game. And if we would only judge players on the goals, that would be so unfair.

“I feel that there is a good connection between Mo [Salah] and Darwin, for example - the way they see each other, they assist each other. And I feel above everything, Darwin is playing a much better season than last year.

“The way he defends for the team, the way he controls the centre and at the same time puts the press on, the way he goes, the way he chases back, his counter-press as well.

“He helps us a lot when we are deep and we can play with him as a reference, so he does that much better.

‘He's learning. This guy is full of fire - and that's what our stadium likes. That's what we need as well - to lead the line in this way. He can only become better, it's a good thing.

“We have a really good relationship - all of us, I'm not speaking only of me, and he feels our trust.”