Michael Owen has admitted his doubt that Darwin Nunez will shed the “uncooked” tag and develop right into a “prime participant,” accepting that “what we see is what we get.”
Nunez ended his second season at Liverpool having introduced his tally to 33 targets and 17 assists in 96 video games for the membership.
The Uruguayan continued to draw scrutiny over his consistency in entrance of aim throughout a troublesome second marketing campaign, shedding his place within the aspect for the run-in.
There has lengthy been a perception that, although undoubtedly uncooked, when all the pieces clicks for Nunez he may attain the heights of a world-leading striker.
However with Liverpool’s No. 9 turning 25 subsequent week, his predecessor Owen is now not satisfied he’ll develop past his present degree.
“Persons are actually hopeful that he may flip right into a prime participant as a result of clearly, they see some attributes which can be phenomenal and onerous to show,” he informed the Liverpool Echo.
“However I feel if he continues like he’s now, I feel individuals will in all probability simply settle for that that’s what he’s going to be perpetually.
“After I first noticed him, I assumed, jeez, he’s uncooked. I anticipated it clearly.
“I knew his age, however I anticipated that of a youthful participant. That he’s going to study extra in regards to the sport and the function and issues like that.
“However along with his age, you suppose to your self, nicely, if he’s not discovered it by now – and I’ve been saying it for a few years now, however in all probability I’m beginning to suppose that what you see is what you get now.”
Owen did, nonetheless, keep that Nunez is a “gifted boy who’s acquired nice attributes that can definitely have an enormous function to play for Liverpool.”
However he added: “Two years in the past, I assumed this child may very well be something. I used to be so excited in a solution to see what he may very well be.
“Now I’m beginning to come round to pondering what we see is what we get.”
Submit-war, solely 5 Liverpool gamers have recorded a greater goals-per-game ratio than Owen, who discovered the again of the web each 1.9 video games for the membership on common.
Nunez averages a aim each 2.9 video games to this point, which is nearer to Peter Crouch’s report (3.2).
It’s onerous to shake the sensation that Owen could also be proper, although there have been reassurances that, with a change within the dugout as Arne Slot arrives, Nunez will stay a focal challenge.
Whereas the £85 million signing frequently finds himself in the fitting positions, his decision-making has often let him down.
The hope was that he would have honed that aspect of his sport by now, following two years underneath Klopp, however now there’s a sense that the upcoming marketing campaign may very well be make or break for Nunez.
