Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp backs Darwin Nunez amidst harsh criticism, feels he could’ve scored more than ‘20 goals’
Jurgen Klopp has opened up on Darwin Nunez's life at Liverpool as the Reds continue their push for a Champions League place.
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Nunez and Klopp
Jurgen Klopp believes there is more to come from Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan forward did not perform as it was expected but Liverpool’s manager is not disappointed about his performance.
Nunez has scored nine times in 29 Premier League appearances and also added six goals in cup competitions to take his tally up to 15 for the campaign. But Nunez has received a lot of criticism from fans and pundits for his performance after coming to The Reds. Klopp has defended the Uruguayan, however, and claimed he would have scored a lot more goals if in a better Liverpool team, “Darwin would have scored 20+ goals had we been having a normal season. He needs time to adapt – he had that at Benfica, there was no language issue”.
The Reds currently sit fifth in the Premier League table, four points behind fourth-placed Manchester United. Klopp said, “He needed time to settle. The most difficult thing for a striker is to come into a team that is not clicking. For him to have scored 15 goals anyway, imagine if by our standards a good season with 70 or 80 points, he would have scored 20-odd goals. That’s how it is but they had much more that we created in this period. But 15 goals is still absolutely fine and three games to go so possibly increase that number as well.”
He also added, “We spoke about it. He needs time to adapt. He had that at Benfica as well, but there wasn’t the language issue, or less of a language issue than there was. We will try to help him and he can help us even more than he has done already.”
Related: Five big names set to depart Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp plots squad overhaul ahead of next season
Liverpool set to sign Alexis Mac Allister with a £70million deal
Liverpool is ready to end the race for World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister with a £ 70 million deal. Manchester United and Arsenal are interested as well but the 24-year-old Argentina star is believed to be ready to join Liverpool.
Liverpool is also favorite’s to sign England midfielder Mason Mount for around £50m, but the deal depends on the green light from the incoming Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has made it clear to the Anfield hierarchy that he wants at least three top-class midfield players this summer, with a number of departures including Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Liverpool have struggled this campaign and Klopp is keen to splash the cash this summer to mount a title charge next season. But the Reds have found form in recent weeks and Klopp is delighted his players have finally been able to turn things around.
The 55-year-old said, “We play a really bad season, I think everyone in this room agrees, and now we have 62 points. It is strange. There is still quality in the boys. I am really happy we could show up a little bit. Where it will end up it’s really not about that. I know everyone wants to go to Champions League, I understand that 100 percent as that’s what I want, it is just not really likely, that is the situation we created.”
He also added, “But to show up and show again we can do special things I am really happy about. Winning six games in a row is special and if it was easy we would have done it much more often, other teams would have done it much more often. Adding the seventh is even more difficult but eight and nine difficult because it is football and other teams prepare well for the games and they have their targets but this part of the season gave us a clear sign we are still there.”
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Arpan Ghosh
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