"You wouldn’t want to play against him" - Jamie Carragher urges Liverpool to keep faith in 'rough diamond'
Jamie Carragher has urged Liverpool fans to keep faith in Darwin Nunez despite the striker's rough times in front of goal. Darwin Nunez had a frustrating outing for Liverpool as the Reds were beaten 3-2 by Manchester City in the Round of 16 of the League Cup.
Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake scored for the Cityzens while Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Salah found the back of the net for Jurgen Klopp's side. Darwin Nunez had a number of chances to restore parity and make it 3-3 but it was a bad day in office for the Uruguayan international.
Nunez showed his class by creating the second goal for Salah but his finishing against Manchester City was pretty dismal. After the game, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher labeled the former Benfica striker as a 'rough diamond'.
Carragher has claimed that Nunez is a nightmare for defenders thanks to his pace and incredible energy but his lack of technique lets him down. He told Sky Sports:
"He is a rough diamond. He will never had a quiet game, he will either score or will show a series of missed chances.
Darwin Nunez has everything he needs to be a top striker, all he is missing is some confidence. The moment that comes, he will score every other game. #LFC https://t.co/qaIMBSBwlJ
"He is not the most technical in terms of finishing. He tries to burst the net but there is definitely something to work with but you wouldn’t want to play against him with that pace."
Carragher has backed Nunez to become a success at Anfield despite his difficult debut campaign. He added:
"I think right now because of Diaz injury he played through the centre. I think when Liverpool get Roberto Firmino back he will go wide, but he will become that centre forward in future."
Nunez joined Liverpool from Benfica this summer for £64 million, which could potentially rise up to £85 million in add-ons.
He has so far had a mixed season for the Merseyside giants having scored nine goals and produced three assists in 19 games.
Michael Owen heaps praise on Liverpool target
Michael Owen has heaped praise on Liverpool target Jude Bellingham, admitting that he was wrong in his assessment earlier.
Bellingham continues to make waves for both club and country and had an incredible FIFA World Cup campaign.
Michael Owen has now admitted that he was wrong about the coveted midfielder. He said:
“He does almost too much, and at first I thought ‘Jeez Jude, you’re wasting energy covering too much ground because of your inexperience, “I was wrong; the more I watch him, I love the way he plays. A lot of people, when they become very good, it almost becomes uncool to do the hard yards and the stuff you don’t really get loads of praise (for).
Enzo fernandes and Jude bellingham to Liverpool for Christmas please
“He is so groundedl he does good things, great runs and scores goals, but when players make a name for themselves, they sometimes save their energy for the big, headline-grabbing moments. He does the stuff managers and teammates really notice.”
Bellingham scored once and provided an assist in five games for England in the FIFA World Cup.