Sander Westerveld has detailed how Liverpool are working ‘tactically and physically’ on Darwin Nunez as the Uruguayan attempts to get up to speed with Premier League football - adding that, at this moment in time, the 23-year-old is best equipped to come off the bench and impact games late on.
Liverpool signed Nunez for an initial £64million this summer but he has endured a mixed start to life on Merseyside. He scored on his debut, in the win over Manchester City in the Community Shield, and on his first Premier League appearance, in the opening-day 2-2 draw at Fulham, before being sent off for headbutting Joachim Andersen, in the 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace.
Nunez started the 0-0 Merseyside derby draw at Everton after returning from suspension but has since been restricted to substitute appearances in the Champions League defeat at Napoli and win over Ajax.
Adapting to life at Anfield is proving a challenge for the young striker, despite there being no doubts about his quality. But former Reds goalkeeper Westerveld revealed how he knows the club are working specifically with Nunez to ease the transition.
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“To be honest, he is a player, at the beginning of the season, when he came on for the last half an hour, he made a massive difference,” Westerveld told the Football Show on Sky Sports. “I remember the game against Manchester City. In pre-season, he was a different player when he came on than when he started the game, for example. Crystal Palace also.
“If you have a player like that, I tell everyone before the game that ‘I hope he’s on the bench for the last 30 minutes’. Sometimes you have a player, maybe because he’s new and he has to adapt still. I think, in those 30 minutes, especially at home, he can go full speed and you can see what a quality player he is.
“I know they are working on him tactically and physically as well. It’s not easy to play for Liverpool with everything around it and the physicality and the high press they play.”
Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff will enjoy some extra time with Nunez this weekend, with Liverpool’s trip to Chelsea postponed due to policing concerns around the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Nunez will then leave for international duty, with Uruguay facing Iran and Canada in their final matches before the World Cup.
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