Alan Shearer insists criticism of Liverpool's record signing Darwin Nunez is "grossly unfair" amid his indifferent start to life at Anfield.
The Reds shelled out £85million to sign the 23-year-old from Benfica in the summer. Nunez has since fired 10 goals in all competitions for his new club, though that figure could have been far more had he finished off the hatful of chances he has managed to squander.
No player has spurned more chances in the Premier League this season (15), leading to question marks over whether Liverpool have got value for money on their new acquisition. But the division's all-time record goalscorer Shearer has no qualms about Nunez's ability and is adamant the talented Uruguayan will come good.
Speaking in his column for The Athletic, Shearer pointed out that of the 15 chances Nunez has missed, only five have been off target, while his goals tally already puts him among some Liverpool greats so soon into his time on Merseyside.
A striker renowned for his clinical finishing during his own playing days, former England captain Shearer feels Nunez is a rough diamond who just needs to put in some extra work on the training ground to start hitting the back of the net more consistently.
"I like a lot of what I’ve seen with Nunez," Shearer said. "A player with unbelievable talent who may not be a natural finisher. It’s obvious — glaringly so — that the Uruguay international needs to find a bit more self-control in front of goal, but I don’t see a massive issue there."
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Shearer explained how he would be more "fearful" if Nunez wasn't getting in the right positions, and believes it all comes down to maintaining a level of composure. "What do I mean by a natural finisher? It’s when you’re comfortable in the positions you’re in, when there’s no faffing.
"Nunez has everything else. He’s got lightning pace, which defenders hate, he gets into good spaces and he can finish well. When the ball comes to him at speed, he’s deadly. It’s when he has time to think about it; that’s when it doesn’t go right. He snatches at the ball and rushes it."
The former Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle legend racked up an impressive 260 goals in the Premier League during his career, and hailed Nunez's ability to forget about a missed chance and move on quickly as a real positive. Nunez has faced some stinging criticism, perhaps not helped by the incredible form of Erling Haaland at Manchester City, who arrived for a smaller fee.
Nunez's latest goal in the weekend's FA Cup draw with Wolves rightly earned him plenty of plaudits, however, after his darting run was found by a pinpoint pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, which the forward finished with a superbly-taken first-time volley, albeit seemingly off his shin.
Shearer insisted that didn't matter, so long as the ball goes in, and stressed Nunez has all the time to develop into the elite player his talent promises, providing he is prepared to work for it.
Assessing some of the opportunities he has failed to convert, Shearer added: "That’s where you just have to keep your composure. Improving this simply comes down to time and sweat in training.
"The more you get in those situations, the happier you feel about your surroundings and weighing the situation up. That’s part of his problem when he is one on one — he never really looks comfortable. The more you practise, that’s when you get better."
