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Topics: Darwin Nunez, Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp
Chris Stonadge
Ex-Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has said he would like to see Darwin Nunez start more often in Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Nunez has come off the bench in four of his six Liverpool appearances, and has scored two goals and received a red card.
Diogo Jota has now returned to full fitness, whilst Roberto Firmino has been in good form in the last few weeks, meaning Nunez will have to work his way into the side.
But following the match against Ajax, Nicol said that the manager has to back Nunez if he is to become a success at Anfield.
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“When I saw the team, the first thing I did was check the subs to see if Nunez had picked up an injury,” Nicol told ESPN.
“You’ve got to get the guy in, get the guy minutes on the field and get him in tune with everybody - until you do that you won’t get the best out of him.
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“As we all know, he’s not the finished article, he’s very raw but what he brings is completely different to what you get from Jota and Firmino, he gives you the two things they can’t do.
“Firmino is about possession, if you can get him holding the ball up and playing with Diaz and Salah that Firmino - I think he can do that - he just needs to get better at it and he can score goals because that’s what Jota is pretty much there for.
“He’s the little guy in the penalty box that’s meant to pop up and put the ball in the net because I don’t think he does particularly well when it comes to link-up play or holding the ball up.
“You get him on the field and in tune with everybody. If I’m a defender, I do not want to play against him, I’d rather play against Jota or Firmino than against him, absolutely every day of the week.
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“This guys not going to get better until he gets minutes on the field. I don’t think the other two are particularly brilliant so get him on.”
Nunez will hope to start in Liverpool’s next fixture on October 1 against Brighton and Hove Albion, after their previous two league fixtures were postponed due to the Queen’s passing.