Darwin Nunez believes that Cody Gakpo will ‘make people very happy at Liverpool’ and has called for fans to give the Dutchman time as he adjusts to life in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old was signed from PSV last month and netted his first Reds goal against Everton on Monday.
Our No. 27 is now looking forward to strengthening his on-field relationship with the Netherlands international in the coming weeks.
“They get used to how I play and, in turn, I grow accustomed to how they play,” Nunez told Liverpoolfc.com (via The Boot Room).
“I think that in time we’ll start to see some good and positive results.
“For example, Gakpo is a quality player and has a lot of class. He’s physically strong too. I think he’ll be able to make people very happy at Liverpool.
“You have to also understand that he’s come here at a time when we’re not in the best of form and he will need time to settle in too.
“I think he’s done well in the games he’s featured in so far. I hope that with time I’ll develop a great understanding and then go on to bring some joy to the Liverpool fans.”
Although Nunez arrived on Merseyside from Benfica in the summer, it’s still early days in his Liverpool career as well.
With Diogo Jota and Bobby Firmino returning to fitness recently and Luis Diaz not too far away from a return to action, our options at the top end of the pitch are top quality.
Strengthening the midfield in the summer will be the club’s main priority and if we add reinforcements in the middle of the park, there’s no reason why we can’t be competitive on all four fronts once again next term.
This campaign can still be a successful one, however, with us still in the Champions League and our attempts of a top four finish far from over.
Ian Wright explains why he’s ‘desperate’ to see 23-year-old Liverpool star succeed
Although Darwin Nunez has not found the back of his net in any of his last four outings, Ian Wright believes that the Uruguayan is ‘playing sensationally’ for Liverpool at the moment and has admitted that he’s ‘desperate’ for the 23-year-old to find the back of the net again soon.
The former Benfica forward, whose last goal came at the beginning of January during our FA Cup draw with Wolves, registered a quality assist for the Reds on Monday night as they defeated Everton 2-0 at Anfield.
“I feel it is going to happen for him as he is playing sensationally,” Wright told Wright’s House Podcast (as quoted by Caught Offside). “The goal he set up for Salah [against Everton] and his all-round energetic pace and output, he is doing everything except scoring.
“I can’t put my finger on why someone with such good technical ability, it’s not even a case of needing to slow down before he shoots, it just doesn’t seem like it is going to go in for him at the moment.
“I am desperate for him to score. He is trying to shoot from angles that are not good angles. Darwin Nunez’s touches at that pace are phenomenal, that’s why I am desperate for it to click. When it clicks, I think he will cause an unbelievable amount of problems.”
Although he’s yet to regularly show the composure required in front of goal, the forward stills wreaks havoc for opposition defenders and we believe it’s only a matter of time before we see our No. 27 firing on all cylinders.
It must be remembered that this is only Nunez’s third full season playing top-flight football in Europe and he’s still adjusting to life in a new country all while learning how to speak English.
He’s received a huge amount of criticism since arriving on Merseyside but let’s hope he can silence his doubters once again on Saturday with a strong showing against Newcastle.
