01 January 2023 , 06:00
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Darwin Nunez has come under criticism after scoring just five Premier League goals since his £85million summer transfer to Liverpool.
Much was expected of the Uruguay international, 23, following his move from Benfica, but he's yet to replicate the form he showed last season. Nunez bagged 26 goals in 28 league games during his final campaign in Portugal to persuade Liverpool to splash the cash.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has been forced to defend the emerging forward in the press and compared him to a young Robert Lewandowski in his latest defence. Klopp gave the Poland international, 34, his debut at Borussia Dortmund back in September 2010.
"There are a lot of similarities to be honest," said Klopp. "I think Lewy would tell the same story. We had shooting sessions where he didn't finish off one. We had bets all the time for €10, 'If you score more than 10 times, I will pay you 10 - if you don't, you have to pay me.'
"My pocket was full of money! It's all about staying calm. When you see the potential, stay calm."
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But how similar are Nunez and a young Lewandowski? During the Polish forward's first six months under Klopp, he scored just four Bundesliga goals and failed to produce a single assist. Nunez, meanwhile, has set up two goals in the Premier League.
Robert Lewandowski played under Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund (Getty Images)Do you think Darwin Nunez will follow in Robert Lewandowski's footsteps? Let us know in the comments below!
Worryingly, though, Dortmund paid Lech Poznan a mere €4.75m (£4.2m) for Lewandowski. He also played just 298 minutes during his first six months at Dortmund - fewer than Nunez's tally of 691 minutes - and had a better goal contribution per 90 minutes (1.2 to 0.9).
Despite this, Klopp is willing to show Nunez the same patience he showed Lewandowski 12 years ago. Nunez has been accused of being wasteful in front of goal, yet Klopp - and Manchester United icon Gary Neville - isn't too concerned about the missed chances.
Klopp added: "I think we all agree that the potential is so obvious. I think it's clear when you see the second chance, the big chance in the second half [against Aston Villa], he can run a little bit on an angle and then he has a free choice, all these kind of things.
"But it is all coming. You do it like this, the next time you do it like that. I had this situation with Lewy but it is not only Lewy. He is the obvious comparison, I understand. It's just about staying calm and I am super calm. The team is calm as well, the team is completely convinced and that's really cool."
Neville, meanwhile, told Sky Sports after Liverpool's win against Leicester on Friday night: "It’s a fine line. He’s a handful, he doesn’t score the goals but if he does score the goals, he’ll be world class. I’ve got a feeling he could end up being that world class striker."
Neville added: "I think it will just start to happen, he’ll start scoring and scoring, particularly if Liverpool keep adding and adding good players. I’m 70 per cent [sure] he will go on to be a top striker in this league and become one of the very best in the world."