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 objectives 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 tough second marketing campaign, shedding his place within the facet for the run-in.
There has lengthy been a perception that, although undoubtedly uncooked, when every part 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 not satisfied he’ll develop past his present stage.
“Persons are actually hopeful that he may flip right into a prime participant as a result of clearly, they see some attributes which are phenomenal and exhausting to show,” he advised the Liverpool Echo.
“However I feel if he continues like he’s now, I feel individuals will most likely simply settle for that that’s what he’s going to be eternally.
“Once I first noticed him, I believed, 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 assume to your self, properly, if he’s not realized it by now – and I’ve been saying it for a few years now, however most likely I’m beginning to assume that what you see is what you get now.”
Owen did, nonetheless, preserve that Nunez is a “gifted boy who’s bought nice attributes that can definitely have an enormous function to play for Liverpool.”
However he added: “Two years in the past, I believed this child could possibly be something. I used to be so excited in a approach to see what he could possibly be.
“Now I’m beginning to come round to considering 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 online 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 file (3.2).
It’s exhausting 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 mission.
Whereas the £85 million signing regularly finds himself in the best positions, his decision-making has commonly let him down.
The hope was that he would have honed that facet of his sport by now, following two years beneath Klopp, however now there’s a sense that the upcoming marketing campaign could possibly be make or break for Nunez.
