Expert hails Liverpool star as one of world's best players as Michael Owen claims he could be 'absolute force'

An expert has labelled a Liverpool star as one of the world’s best players, with Michael Owen stating he could be an absolute force.

Back in the summer of 2022, Liverpool were on the verge of losing one of Jurgen Klopp’s main men, Sadio Mane.

The Senegal star had been linked with a move to German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, having won every major trophy with the Anfield club.

In preparation for Mane’s departure, the Reds decided to splash the cash to bring in striker Darwin Nunez from Portuguese side Benfica in a deal worth a reported £85 million.

However, Nunez failed to live up to his price tag as he struggled to find his feet during his first season as a Liverpool player.

Despite scoring 15 goals in his first season, the Uruguayan was often criticised for missing too many chances.

Nunez’s numbers have improved slightly this campaign but his performances continue to be put under the microscope.

According to ESPN’s Ryan O’Hanlon, Nunez is one of the best players in the world.

O’Hanlon has urged fans to stop looking at Nunez’s misses and instead focus on the fact that he is often making the correct runs and in good positions.

He wrote: “Núñez fails more than anyone, but that's largely because he tries more than anyone.”

Meanwhile, former Liverpool striker Owen has also praised Nunez.

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Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “Nunez is a player that has divided opinion. I think he’s very raw in some of his plays, but I also think he’s exceptional in some of his plays.

“When you think of Liverpool for the future, it’s obviously not going to be with [Mohamed] Salah forever so somebody’s going to have to step up, or they’re going to have to replace him with someone that's going to try and replace his goals.

“This guy [Nunez] is probably the one guy in the team that’s got the scope to be able to do that, I see him developing into an absolute force in the Premier League.”

Owen added: “I still think he could go the other way, I still think he’s not the full package yet, but he does things that absolutely blow your mind.

“He’s so strong, he’s so direct, he’s so quick and he’s got so much ability, if he can just brush up in certain areas he could be the real deal.”