Darwin Nunez has been told that he can become Uruguay's number nine for 'many years to come', but must learn to relax first.
That's the view of former Chelsea and Tottenham star Gus Poyet, who believes that his compatriot simply needs to relax more and play his own game.
Nunez led the line for Uruguay at the World Cup in Qatar but failed to score any goals as the South Americans were eliminated from the tournament at the group stage. But Poyet, who earned 26 caps for his country, scoring three times, still has total faith in the Liverpool striker to become a world-beater and wants to see him kick on now with his Anfield career.
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Speaking on the Stadium Astro podcast, he said: “I say yes when he signed for Liverpool, I am not going to change my words. But I want him to come now at Liverpool. Just play. You are strong. You are quick. You don’t imagine how quick he is. Look at the results of the quickest players at the World Cup. He is one of the top. He can score goals in any manner. But he needs to relax and be himself.
“And not be what the press wants you to be and how you are going to answer things. He was an outstanding player in Portugal and before with Almeria in Spain. He is playing for a top team. He will get balls. Just play and relax, then he will be the number nine of Uruguay for many, many years.”
Nunez has endured a mixed start to life at Liverpool, getting sent off on his Anfield debut for head-butting an opponent and serving a three-match ban, but he has since gone on to score nine goals in 18 appearances for the Reds in all competitions.
His recent deployment on the left-hand side of the Reds' three-pronged attack could be set to continue after Luis Diaz was sent home from Liverpool's warm weather training camp in Dubai with an injury that is expected to keep him out of action for the next three months. Diogo Jota is also currently side-lined.
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