‘Expecting a more’: Michael Owen says Liverpool attacker struggles with the ‘easy things’

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Michael Owen says Darwin Nunez ‘struggles with the easy things’ at Liverpool.

It has been a week to remember for the 24-year-old and one that could be defining in his quest to get his engine going at Liverpool following his big-money transfer last summer.

As Owen pointed out, Darwin Nunez is still ‘quite raw’ and that is a ‘worry’ for him, although, he made it clear that the striker has qualities ‘you would pay millions’ to have, as he told Premier League Productions (27/08/23 at 6:30 pm).

You could describe Nunez’s skill set as chaotic and a player many teams would love to have in their side, it’s just a case of being patient with him.

Last season, he probably doesn’t put those two goals at Newcastle away, but now he is showcasing the end product that is going to make him seriously dangerous if it continues.

Former Liverpool hitman Owen has been under that pressured spotlight at Anfield and he admitted that he expected Nunez to be a ‘more rounded’ player given the transfer fee he arrived for.

“He is quite raw still and it does worry me,” said Owen. “But I think, with the right coaching and a bit of time, then this kid could be really, really good.

“Listen, it might backfire and he might not. But I think he has the raw ingredients to be really good. He has attributes that you can’t give people. That directness, that attitude, the South American attitude and the will to win.

“You would pay millions for those little attributes. Almost, the easy things, he struggles with and I think with a little bit of good coaching around him.

“Normally, with a rough diamond like him, you expect to be paying £30 or 40 million and trying to develop something into £100 million. But they paid full whack for him. I was expecting a more-rounded player. But Liverpool haven’t got that.”

Europa League will help Nunez

Given that a large proportion of this Liverpool squad, including the manager, have been used to competing in the Champions League, then playing in the Europa League will feel like a step-down.

It’s not going to be easy, especially when a few Champions League teams enter the Europa League knockout stages, but the Reds should be backing themselves to win this trophy.

And if they are to bulldoze their way through, then you can just see Nunez causing all sorts of issues because this tournament might just help him take the next step.