Arne Slot tells Darwin Núñez exactly what he needs to do to get back into the starting lineup at Liverpool
Arne Slot has told Darwin Núñez that he must “work very hard” to return to Liverpool's starting XI.
The 25-year-old has yet to start for the Dutchman this season since replacing Jurgen Klopp in the dugout. Anfield.
Nunez He has been limited to just 84 minutes of action spread across four games in all competitions, which, unsurprisingly, has not resulted in any goal contributions.
Since joining from Benfica for a club-record fee of £85m in 2022, the Uruguay international has struggled for consistency, scoring 33 goals in 100 games.
AND Slot has suggested Nunez needs to follow the example of team-mate Cody Gakpo, who impressed in his first start of the campaign in the 3-1 Champions League win away to AC Milan.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's game against Bournemouth, Slot was asked what Nunez needs to do to regain his place in the lineup.
To which he replied: “The same as everyone else. Work very hard and then the goals will come.”
“That's what he (Gakpo) did when he came on against AC Milan.
“You come in and work for the team and as a result of that, the attackers score goals or get assists.
“That's what happened to Cody, but it will happen with Lucho (Luis Díaz), Mo (Mohamed Salah) and Diogo (Diogo Jota).
“If you play for a team like Liverpool, you'll always score your goals and get your assists.
“For me, the important thing is the work we do without the ball. I know they will score goals or give assists, and the same goes for Darwin.
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“He will get his chance in the near future. We've played a lot of games, he's getting fitter and he understands day by day what we expect from him.”
“But he is in competition with Diogo (Jota), who, in my opinion and ours, has done really well.”
Slot was then asked if Nunez had trust issues, to which he replied: “No.
“I think he came back from the Copa America with a lot of confidence, he scored some good goals.
“Darwin is always confident and he has every right to be confident, because wherever he played he always scored goals.
“As a striker, sometimes you have some games where you don't score and then suddenly you score a lot.
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“As long as he brings his level of work to the team and we put him in enough positions, I am 100 percent sure that he, Diogo or one of the others will score their goals.”
Slot also confirmed in his press conference that goalkeeper Alisson is in doubt for the Cherries.
The Brazilian has a hamstring problem and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to play against the south coast side.
