Darwin Nunez has been at Liverpool for 15 months, but it wasn’t until Saturday’s Merseyside derby that he made his 38th appearance in the Premier League. Nez was listed as a replacement despite having complained of cramps after playing a key role in Uruguay’s victory against Brazil a few days previously. However, after entering the game, he assisted Mohamed Salah’s second goal.
Nunez has missed nine of Liverpool’s 47 league games since his arrival, six due to injury and three due to suspension following his infamous red card on his complete debut against Crystal Palace. Additionally, there have been a few games where he was healthy enough to sit on the bench but not start.Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diáz, and Cody Gakpo are just a few of Klopp’s incredible array of offensive options. The Uruguayan has frequently been replaced due to form, strategy, or simple rotation. He has recently surpassed 2,000 Premier League minutes.Sadly, despite Henderson’s departure to join Saudi Pro League team Al-Ettifaq in the summer, Nunez has started fewer games than Henderson (23) since his arrival. He is also only three points ahead of backup center defender Joe Gomez and rookie midfielder Harvey Elliott, who signed from PSV only in January of this year. He is also level with Gakpo.Even though it’s somewhat of a chicken-and-egg scenario, if he can do those two things, it’s certain that his headline numbers will increase. Liverpool has only actually seen 47%, or around half, of what he is capable of. Nunez needs to be on the field for more time in order for the entire explosion that many have been anticipating to materialize.
