Darwin Nunez has opened up on the advice of Jurgen Klopp and Luis Suarez as his debut season at Liverpool goes on
Darwin Nunez has revealed how Jurgen Klopp has told him to remove the ‘anger’ from his finishing in order to become more prolific for Liverpool this season.
And the Reds striker says his manager believes the numbers will significantly increase if he can calm down in front of goal going forward.
Nunez has 10 goals across all competitions since joining from Benfica for an initial fee of £64m in June but has registered just half of those in the Premier League during what has been a difficult campaign overall for Klopp’s players.
Nunez could become the most expensive signing of all time at Anfield, should his £21m worth of add-ons be unlocked and while a portion of that relates to winning trophies such as the Champions League and Premier League, appearance-based clauses mean the Uruguay international will end up costing at least £75m.
Klopp explained back in October that he and assistant Pep Lijnders had spoken candidly to Nunez about what he needed to do to become a success on Merseyside and the former Benfica star has now opened up on his discussions with the manager in an interview with Sky Sports.
Nunez said: “I think he wants to see what he saw in Benfica, for example in the games I played against Liverpool [in the Champions League last season], when I performed very well.
“I don’t think I’m playing well at the moment, but I always want to improve. I try to improve every day.
“Klopp knows my strength is my speed, running into space. Also, he tells me that I need to be more calm when I’m playing, and that I need to move more. He tells me that I need that, and that I am a player with a lot of quality. So, that’s more or less what he wants from me – and, of course, that I score goals.
“He has told me that I have to be calm in games when it comes to finishing. He wants me to take a second longer, because if I shoot with anger, or I rush it, then it will always go badly. He asks me to take an extra second, with calmness, and I will score.”
Nunez has also detailed the conversations he has held with former Liverpool great Luis Suarez, who he partnered up top for Uruguay at the World Cup earlier this season.
Suarez’s feats during his three-and-a-half years at Liverpool made him revered and Nunez says the former Reds forward has been happy to give advice on how to thrive at Anfield.
“Of course, it’s always helpful to speak with Suarez,” adds Nunez. “For me, he is an idol. He is a great example. In the national team, I now have a much better relationship with him.
“We are always talking and he is always giving me advice. I always try to keep in touch with him. I ask him a lot of things because he was at this club and he has a lot more experience than me. He is an important player to give me advice and explain things to me.”
Nunez is expected to be part of the action when the Reds travel to Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
