Klopp warned Liverpool’s Prem title challenge ‘could falter’ if £64m star doesn’t ‘sort himself out’

Liverpool have been warned that their Premier League title challenge “could falter” if Darwin Nunez’s form does not pick up in the coming months.

The Premier League giants splashed out an initial fee of around £64m to sign Nunez from Benfica before the 2022/23 campaign.

Nunez scored 15 goals in his 42 games for Liverpool across all competitions during his debut season but he was often criticised for not being clinical enough and perhaps should have finished the campaign with a more impressive tally.

So far this term, the Uraguay international has seven goals and seven assists in 22 appearances but he is without a goal in six Premier League games and is one of the division’s worst finishers. 

Liverpool have won three games in a row to move to the top of the Premier League but they had to score late goals to get past Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Nunez was in and out of the Liverpool team at the start of this season but he has featured regularly for the Premier League leaders in recent weeks.

Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino reckons Liverpool “have to get Nunez playing like he does for his country”.

“If Liverpool are to have serious title aspirations then they have to get Darwin Nunez playing like he does for his country, Uruguay,” Cascarino claimed via his column for The Times.

“His form in World Cup qualifying for them is sensational. Nunez looks like the complete No 9 who scores against the best teams in the world such as Argentina and Brazil, links the play, and chases lost causes. But for Liverpool, something is just not right, and not many sides win the title with a misfiring No 9.”

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Recalling a situation during his career while representing Millwall and the Republic of Ireland, Cascarino urged Reds boss Jurgen Klopp to make Nunez the “main man that he is with Uraguay”.

“Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, is going to have to try something similar with Nunez,” Cascarino added.

“He needs to be made to feel like the main man that he is with Uruguay, but there is only so much that a manager can do.

“The main issues lie with Nunez himself. For one thing, he is offside way too often for a player of his abilities and with so much pace. He doesn’t need to be cutting it so fine time and time again.

“He also looks blunt in front of goal and almost surprised when chances fall to him. Nunez must sort himself out or Liverpool’s title tilt could falter.”

Liverpool are currently a single point clear at the top of the table and they host Manchester United at Anfield this weekend.