Can Darwin Núñez fire Liverpool to title? 23 goal contributions and trusted by Jürgen Klopp

Jürgen Klopp’s legacy at Anfield could have a special ending with Liverpool still fighting in four competitions, and in many ways forward Darwin Núñez could be pivotal to their prospects. The Uruguayan was ridiculed at times during his debut season in England but he’s undoubtedly flourished this campaign.

Liverpool’s attacking options are the envy of clubs across Europe and Núñez has emerged as an important player for Klopp. The 24-year-old has already surpassed his goal contributions from last season with only Mohamed Salah providing more goals and assists for Liverpool. The former Benfica striker is Liverpool’s joint-fourth most valuable player with a market value of €65 million and his goals could secure silverware for Klopp before he departs at the end of the season. 

Darwin Núñez’s stats from 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaign 

Núñez has featured in more games (36) than any other Liverpool player this season and he’s played the third most minutes (2,102) behind Virgil Van Dijk (2,283) and Alisson (2,160). His gametime shows how much Klopp has relied on Núñez and he’s also proven to be an excellent impact player from the bench. 

Núñez has repaid his manager with his impressive attacking output, scoring 12 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. Only Salah has registered more goal contributions (27) than Núñez (23) for Liverpool this campaign. The Uruguayan has also attempted more shots (78) than any player in the English Premier League and he’s had the joint-most shots on target (34) with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. Whilst he can still be unpredictable and profligate in front of goal, Núñez has taken more responsibility this campaign and he’s gained the respect of the Liverpool support. 

This season, Núñez has averaged 0.46 goals per 90 in all competitions and 0.38 assists per 90. The Uruguayan has also registered an xG of 0.67 per 90, which is higher than Mohammed Salah (0.62). Despite receiving criticism for his goal scoring last season, Núñez actually averaged more goals per 90  (0.53) but his assists per 90 were significantly lower (0.14). Nunez’s xG was also lower last season (0.56) and it’s noticeable that he’s finding himself in better goal scoring positions this campaign. Remarkably, Núñez has hit the woodwork nine times in the league this season, which is three times more than any other player with eight players hitting it three times. One thing that Núñez has never been criticised for is his work-rate and he completed 37 sprints against Burnley, which is the most of any Liverpool player in the league this season.  

Núñez earns Fernando Torres comparison by Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher

Núñez earned his move to Liverpool in 2022 after an outstanding campaign for Benfica. He netted 34 goals in 41 appearances and he shone in the Champions League, scoring in both legs of the quarter-final against his current club. Liverpool have been condemned for spending €85m to sign Núñez from Benfica, especially during the same summer that Man City signed Haaland for €25m less, but Reds legend Jamie Carragher recently praised the Uruguayan and compared him to Fernando Torres.

“It’s really interesting watching Nunez,” Carragher noted in December. “He comes on and he makes a huge impact. He hasn’t set the world alight, he hasn’t done what Haaland’s done and people would’ve expected more for the price-tag. But when you look at his minutes on the pitch and how many goals he’s scored per minute... his numbers are actually scary! He’s actually made a huge impact. But there’s still something not quite there, where Jurgen Klopp’s going to play him every single game. I think he’s got [similarities to] Fernando Torres. He’s got that power, physically, to knock defenders off. And that blistering pace. But at times, maybe technically, not the best in terms of general play.”

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