The Uruguayan looked sharp in pre-season but he appears set to spend a third consecutive Premier League game on the bench this weekend…
It's certainly curious that the build-up to Liverpool's Premier League meeting with Public Investment Fund-owned Newcastle United has been dominated by the revelation that Public Investment Fund-owned Al-Ittihad want to sign Mohamed Salah.
We already know, though, that there is absolutely no chance of Jurgen Klopp even entertaining the idea of selling his side's primary source of goals just a week before the close of the transfer window – finding a replacement for one of the game's great wingers in such a short period of time would be impossible.
However, it would have been very interesting had the Saudi Arabian side (Al-Ittihad – not Newcastle…) instead made a move for Salah's team-mate Darwin Nunez. The Reds' response would have been far less predictable.
Nunez may not boast Salah's god-like status on the Kop but the Uruguayan is a very popular player among the fans. He is a beloved agent of chaos: something dramatic happens each and every time he sets foot on the field. There's just no telling if it will be good or bad.
But Nunez's potential is obvious: he is tall, strong and exceptionally fast. He is also passionate and industrious, meaning he has all the makings of a classic Klopp No.9. He was even given Roberto Firmino's shirt this summer, following the Brazilian's move to Saudi Arabia.
Klopp himself has described Nunez as "a long-term project" and believes that the player he fell "in love" with when Liverpool faced Benfica in the Champions League last year will eventually develop into a world-class centre-forward. He's not there yet, though. Far from it, in fact, which is why a lucrative offer would have given Liverpool plenty of food for thought.
Getty Some 'super moments' but Klopp's fifth-choice forward
Nunez only arrived at Anfield last summer – and for a £64 million ($79m) fee that could yet rise to £85m ($105m), which would make the striker the most expensive signing in club history.
Thus far, though, he's not done enough to justify even that initial outlay. In fairness, his numbers at the end of his first season in England were not too bad: 19 goal involvements in 42 appearances in all competitions, only 26 of which were starts.
There were flashes of real quality, some "super moments" as Klopp put it, such as the back-heeled finish against Real Madrid in the Champions League, and the turn of pace in a League Cup game against Manchester City that made Aymeric Laporte look like he was trying to run up an elevator.
However, the fact of the matter is that Nunez has begun this season in the same position he finished the last – as Liverpool's fifth-choice forward. Why? Firstly, there's the incredible competition for places, with Klopp boasting the best attacking quintet in Europe right now.
Salah is obviously a certain starter on the right flank and Luis Diaz has begun the season as if intent on making the left-wing berth his own. Nunez is capable of playing out wide because of his speed but it would be very difficult to argue that he would ever be a better option than his fellow South American.
In truth, the 24-year-old is essentially competing with Diogo Jota and Cady Gakpo for the No.9 role – and getting ahead of either man in the pecking order will not be easy.
Jota, who has led the line in the first games of the season, is fit and firing again, while January signing Gakpo is arguably even better-equipped than the versatile Portuguese to become Firmino's long-term successor up front.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesDarwin's defensive deficiencies
The major problem for Nunez, though, is proving that he can press as well as his two rivals. There is no doubting his energy or endeavour – just his efficacy.
Nunez was one of Liverpool's better players in pre-season. He looked sharp and scored four goals in his first three outings. Yet it was clear as the start of the 2023-24 campaign approached, that he still had work to do convince Klopp he deserved to play from the start.
"He was good," the German said after Nunez netted in the 4-0 friendly win over Leicester on July 30. "You can see he’s a handful: speed, typical goal scorer being there, smelling it and finishing it off.
"But it's the same situation for Darwin and all the other strikers: I know all about the quality they have but they need to do both – defend, and be influential in all offensive situations."
Given Nunez has seen just 28 minutes of game time so far this season, Klopp clearly feels the forward has yet to achieve those twin objectives. Time is still on his side, of course, and history suggests Nunez could explode in his second season on Merseyside.
Getty/GOAL'Liverpool's answer to Haaland'?
"If you look back through his career, he went to Benfica and had an okay first season, similar to Liverpool," former Reds winger Jermaine Pennant told GOAL. "But then, in the second season, he lit it up. So, I think he’ll only get better and better.
"He's had time now to settle into Liverpool, which is never easy in itself, and he’s had time to settle in the Premier League, which is the hardest in the world. So now with a pre-season under his belt and a first season, it should be a lot better for him.
"If he can tidy up his finishing, then he can be Liverpool’s answer to Erling Haaland. With all the chances you see him have in games, you pull your hair out. Rather than having six or seven chances and scoring one, he could be scoring three.
"He's rapid, he's good in the air, he's strong. He has similar attributes to Haaland. But Haaland has three chances and scores one – that's the difference."
There's no denying that there is a massive difference in efficiency between Nunez and the player to whom he has been constantly compared, given they arrived in England at the same time as two high-profile signings.
Getty 'I am surprised at how raw Nunez is'
Haaland missed at least 10 more 'Big Chances' than any other player across Europe's Big Five leagues last season – 42 in total – but his strike-rate was an excellent 51.72 percent. Nunez, by contrast, converted just 30 percent of the 'Big Chances' which came his way.
"If you cast your mind back to the start of the season, everybody was saying who's going to score the most, Haaland or Nunez? It was a big debate," former Liverpool striker Michael Owen told GOAL. "And I think people probably have a little bit of a look at Nunez as not a massive success just yet, purely down to what Haaland has done. At the moment, there's no comparison.
"But Haaland is already an all-round player. I do think that Nunez could get to that level. It just might take another two or three years because I am surprised at how raw he is, I must admit.
"He still feels as if he's got a lot of improvement to come. And I think Liverpool and the coaching staff there are going to have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders in terms of turning this raw talent into a top-notcher."