"Actually scary" - Jamie Carragher stunned by Liverpool player after Napoli win and makes Erling Haaland claim

Jamie Carragher issued praise on Darwin Nunez after the striker helped the Reds secure a 2-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League.

Nunez made quite the impact last night. The 23-year-old came off the bench, provided an assist for Mohamed Salah and then tapped home his seventh goal in all competitions as Liverpool ended Napoli’s 13-game winning streak.

The erratic Uruguayan has come in for some criticism since securing an £85million move from Benfica in the summer.

Nunez’s slow start in front of goal for the reds was confounded by a naive red card he picked up against Crystal Palace that saw him suspended for three games.

Meanwhile Manchester City’s new arrival Erling Haaland’s free-scoring form has placed an unrealistic expectation on Nunez to register a similar return.

However, after last night’s bustling display former Liverpool centre-back Carragher was full of praise for the Uruguay international, and insisted the player's goal return was “scary”.

Speaking on CBS Sport, Carragher said: “It’s really interesting watching Nunez, he comes on and makes a huge impact.

“He hasn’t set the world alight. He hasn’t done what Haaland has done. And people are expecting more for the price tag.

“But when you actually look at the minutes he has been on the pitch, and how many goals he has scored per minute, then his numbers are actually scary, so he has actually made a huge impact.

“But there is something not quite there where Jurgen Klopp is going to play him every single game.

“He’s still searching for a system and how to fit him in. He’s very, very raw. But I think there is something, I wouldn’t say special it’s a bit too much, you can’t take your eyes off him when you are watching him play.

“I think Liverpool have got a real player – the physical attributes of pace and power feels, to me, that he will be a right handful in the future.”

Carragher went on to compare Nunez to his own former Liverpool teammate, Fernando Torres, who was a key part of the Reds’ side under Rafael Benitez.

The former centre-back added: “I think he’s got [similarities to] Fernando Torres. He’s got that power, physically, to knock defenders off. And that blistering pace. But at times, maybe technically, not the best in terms of general play.”

Topics: Liverpool, Erling Haaland, Darwin Nunez, Jamie Carragher

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.