Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has reassured summer signing Darwin Nunez there are no worries about his contribution or form in a struggling Reds side.
The Uruguay international forward moved to Merseyside for an initial £64million fee in June, a figure which could eventually rise to a club record £85m. However, he has struggled in the opening months of the new campaign.
Nunez did score in his first two appearances for the club. However, he was red carded against Crystal Palace and has not scored in four games since his return from suspension – although three of them have been from the bench.
The spotlight has also been intensified on Nunez’s struggles due to Erling Haaland’s form for Manchester City.
The Norwegian scored his third successive home hat-trick in the 6-3 rout of Manchester United on Sunday. He has already scored 17 goals in 11 games for City compared to Nunez‘s two in seven for the Reds.
But Klopp and his coaching staff have moved to reassure Nunez that things will eventually click for him – and the team.
“Only yesterday we had a long talk – with Pep Lijnders (assistant manager) because my Portuguese is still not better – and we just told him we are really calm,” said Klopp.
“It’s really important in our situation that he isn’t looking like he is worrying or whatever.
“The team is not flying, and that makes it not easier for a striker, especially not for a finisher.
“It’s not that we aren’t creating chances, but it’s not like everything is clicking and we put in one player and he finishes our situation off.
“That’s not our situation at the moment as much as I wish it would be. That’s all.”
Tsimikas admits Liverpool struggles
Left-back Kostas Tsimikas, currently deputising for the injured Andy Robertson, has also found it a difficult time to come into the Liverpool side.
He made only his third start of the season in Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Brighton. But was also affected by the lack of confidence, which is currently affecting the side.
“I will not find excuses, we have got good players and we have to be focused 100 per cent for every challenge we face,” he said.
“It is a bad moment. It is not a tactical issue or something because we do exactly the same thing like the previous years, with the same players.
“It’s not possible that everybody forgets the tactics and game plan of the manager.
“How we play is the same, like the last years. Obviously last year we had the same structure, the same tactic and we went through in every competition.
“We won the two cups and we lost the Premier League by one point and we went to the final of the Champions League.”
