Sander Westerveld has explained why he prefers Darwin Nunez to be featured as a substitute rather than a starter in Liverpool matches and revealed how Jurgen Klopp is trying to improve the Uruguayan.
The former Benfica striker joined the Reds earlier this summer and hit the ground running after scoring twice and registering an assist in his first two competitive games for the club.
The 23-year-old was then sent off on his home debut for the Anfield side after heading Joachim Andersen, but former Liverpool goalkeeper Westerveld believes the striker is a “quality player”.
“He’s a player to be honest, at the beginning of the season when he came on for the last half hour he made a huge difference,” Westerveld told Sky Sports (quoted by HITC).
“I remember the game against Manchester City. In the preseason, he was a different player when he came in than when he started the game, for example. Crystal Palace as well.
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“If you have a player like that, I tell everyone before the game that ‘I hope he’s on the bench for the last 30 minutes.’ Sometimes you have a player, maybe because he is new and he still has to adapt. I think in those 30 minutes, especially at home, he can go full throttle and you can see the quality of a player that he is.
“I know they are working on him tactically and physically as well. It’s not easy playing at Liverpool with everything that surrounds you and the physicality and high pressure they play”.
With Klopp spending £64m on the Uruguayan, many would expect him to start when he becomes available, but once again wanting to compete on all four fronts this term, rotation amongst the squad is vital.
Diogo Jota, who recently returned to form, was chosen ahead of Nunez for Ajax’s visit on Tuesday in what was his first start of the season.
The former Wolves man looked good for 65 minutes before being replaced by our new No. 27 and Nunez had a great opportunity to put the Reds ahead shortly after coming on but failed to hit the target from close range.
It is still early days for the South American on Merseyside and he is trying to adapt to a new style of play, a new culture and a new language that he was used to in Lisbon.
The striker must be given time before we can expect to see him consistently perform at his best.
There aren’t many better managers in world football other than Klopp to bring out the best in players and we certainly think it’s only a matter of time before he’s firing on all cylinders.
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