Tony Cascarino believes Darwin Nunez is only a 'minor upgrade' on Divock Origi amid claims that Jurgen Klopp must 'give up' on certain players for the time being.
Liverpool suffered yet another low point on Saturday evening after Crysencio Summerville's 89th-minute winner handed Leeds United a 2-1 win at Anfield and ended an 18-month unbeaten home league run. It was the second consecutive Premier League game that the Reds have lost to a team in the relegation zone and leaves Jurgen Klopp's side closer to the bottom three than the top four.
Joe Gomez' early mistake - his misplaced pass allowed Rodrigo to tap into an empty net after four minutes - set the tone for an evening dismal defending. And while Klopp's men managed to carve out plenty of chances, a combination of poor finishing and an inspired Illan Meslier thwarted Nunez on multiple occasions.
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And, writing in his column for the Times, Cascarino bluntly compared Nunez to former Reds striker Origi while suggesting Klopp 'give up' on Gomez and Harvey Elliott for now as his side try and claw back some form.
"The balance has suddenly shifted in their rivalry with Manchester United," the former Millwall and Aston Villa mad wrote. "After being inferior to Liverpool for most of Klopp’s tenure, United are now seven points ahead of their bitter foes, and I think they will finish the higher of the two this season. Klopp must give up on some players, at least for now. Harvey Elliott is a really exciting prospect, but he is 19 and cannot yet reach the levels demanded of a Liverpool starter. Joe Gomez was outstanding in the win over Manchester City but has been dreadful for the rest of the season.
"I do not believe Klopp’s position is at risk and he has plenty of credit in the bank at Anfield, but he is not absolved from blame. His decision to take off Trent Alexander-Arnold, one of the best attacking full backs in the world, and replace him with James Milner against Leeds was baffling.
"Recruitment has not helped him. Liverpool were so concerned about the impact of losing Sadio Mané that they overlooked the need to reinforce the engine room. The only central midfielder they signed in the summer was Arthur Melo, who has played 13 minutes for the first team.
"And then there is Darwin Núñez. For me, the striker is only a minor upgrade on Divock Origi and is not the right man to lead Liverpool’s line. The Uruguay international does not appear technically good enough and he loses the ball too quickly, which is hardly ideal when Liverpool are so poor at winning it back."
Origi left Liverpool over the summer, with the club opting against renewing the 27-year-old's contract. He has since joined Serie A champions AC Milan, but has featured just 11 times for Stefano Pioli's side and scored once.
Despite acclimatising to a new country and league, and receiving a three-game suspension for headbutting Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen, Nunez has registered six goals in 14 appearances across all competitions. The Uruguayan has been all-action since arriving from Benfica, lending himself to the hearts of Reds fans for a relentless work-rate and an obvious passion for the club already.
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