Writing in his column for Sky Sports, Paul Merson has been discussing Liverpool and their new so-called star striker Darwin Nunez.
The Uruguayan striker joined the Reds in what could eventually be a club-record deal this summer, but it already looks like a poor piece of business.
He’s scored just one goal for the Reds so far, while his all-round play hasn’t come close to providing what Sadio Mane used to for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Merson clearly isn’t a fan of Nunez, stating that he’s not even in the same league as the man he’s supposed to be replacing – Mane.
Nunez behind Mane
Merson gave his verdict on the Uruguayan attacker.
“He led from the front with his closing down, and for me, what they sold him for, I just didn’t get it. Darwin Nunez isn’t in the same league (as Mane) at the moment. Not in the same league at all,” Merson wrote.
Time on his side
Darwin Nunez isn’t as good as Sadio Mane right now. That much is obvious to almost any observer right now.
However, that isn’t to say that the South American will never get to this level.
He was a star in Portugal, he’s working under one of the very best coaches of all-time and he’s only 22 years old.
At that age, Mane was still playing over in Austria, not showing many signs of becoming a world-class player at that point, but his improvement was drastic from that point onwards.
With any luck, Nunez will go through a similar transformation and fulfil his potential.
It’s too early to judge Nunez fully right now, but it’s fair to say that at the moment Mane is the better footballer.
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