Robbie Fowler is not convinced Darwin Nunez has a successful future ahead of him at Anfield, saying: ‘The more I see him the more I think he’s not a Liverpool player.’
The 25-year-old has been with the Reds since signing from Benfica in June 2022 in a deal worth an initial £64m, which could rise to a huge £85m.
It has been something of a mixed bag for the Uruguay international since then, at times shining, sometimes struggling and showing few signs of consistency at the top level.
Nunez has scored 37 goals in 121 appearances in all competitions, with just 22 of those coming in 80 Premier League outings.
Fowler, who scored 183 goals in a Liverpool shirt, is far from convinced that the Uruguayan is good enough to play for the club, saying his impressive work rate is not enough.
‘We’re saying the same things now as we were two or three years ago. He’s raw, he’s this, he’s that. You can’t keep saying that. For me, the more I see him the more I think he’s not a Liverpool player,’ Fowler told ITV.
‘People might have a go at me for saying this because he works hard, you’re not signing a player because he works hard. That should be a prerequisite anyway.
‘You’ve got to come here and score goals. I know he’s a fan favourite for what he puts in, but at the time we’re talking now you’ve got to perform better and do better in that Liverpool shirt.’
Asked what he thinks Nunez is lacking, Fowler explained: ‘I don’t think he’s quick enough in his thought in terms of how he should be finishing.
‘He’s quick over the ground, we know how quick he is, but when you are a striker your speed of thought has got to be quicker than anyone else.
‘When he has time to think about it he struggles. When he’s instinctive, sometimes he looks a little bit better but we still probably want a little bit more. I think it’s speed of thought as a striker in terms of where he should be and how he finishes with any part of his body, feet or head, it’s got to improve.
Speaking last month, Reds boss Arne Slot said he is not only looking for goals from Nunez and likes what else he brings to the team, although he should be scoring more.
‘For me, he has impact,’ said Slot. ‘If you only look at goals, he hasn’t scored the amount of goals that he wants to score, or we want a number nine to score, but he does have impact in his work-rate. He’s part of a team that scores a lot of goals and is winning a lot.
‘Of course, as a number nine you want to score more goals and that’s definitely what he wants as well. But I’m not only judging Mohamed Salah on his goals and Darwin on his goals – I also judge them on their work-rate and what they bring to the team.
‘The fans support him so much that maybe he wants it too much.’