Noel Whelan has suggested that Jurgen Klopp does not trust Darwin Nunez after the Uruguayan was named as a substitute and only played the closing minutes of Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Brighton at Anfield.
The 23-year-old rested alongside the likes of Diogo Jota, Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz when the Premier League resumed after the recent international break.
Klopp’s side found themselves 2-0 down in the 17th minute before a brace from Bobby Firmino and an own goal from Adam Webster put the Reds on course for three huge points.
The Seagulls equalized with less than 10 minutes remaining when Leandro Trossard scored his hat-trick and Nunez only entered the fray in the 89th minute, something former Leeds United striker Whelan has commented on.
“It says a lot that Nunez didn’t come on until the last minute,” Whelan told Football Insider. “If Klopp had trusted him and believed that he could score the winning goal, he would have brought it earlier.
“Obviously he thought he had better options, and that’s not a surprise given Jota’s scoring record, really.
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“Núñez is still finding his way in English football and that red card and suspension really set him back. He will be in the back of the manager’s mind and it will take some time for him to gain Klopp’s trust. He was obviously furious about it.
“Núñez is the record signing and he will need time to adapt. But he might be some time before he’s a regular starter.”
Our new No. 27 got off to a decent start to life at the club as he scored twice and recorded one assist in his first two competitive outings.
Since then, though, it’s fair to say he’s had problems.
However, it is imperative that he give him time as he has arrived in a new league and is trying to adjust to a completely different style of play than the one he had grown accustomed to in Lisbon with his former club Benfica.
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Bobby Firmino, selected ahead of the Uruguayan international, scored twice to justify his selection on the side and was replaced by Diogo Jota 15 minutes from time.
Diaz replaced Fabio Carvalho at half time and we instantly saw a more dangerous team in an offensive sense with the Colombian on the left flank.
Klopp only turned on Nunez in the last minute of regulation time, but it was too late for us to be in front again.
The former AlmerÃa player had been out for his country last week, but if he was fit enough for the bench then there is an argument to be made that he should be fit enough for more than a minute of action.
He’s certainly not having the easiest of starts on Merseyside, but we remain convinced that when he has a consistent run of games under his belt, we’ll see him firing on all cylinders.
Liverpool’s big problem may already have been resolved after Merson noted the international break advantage.
