Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has hailed the work that Darwin Nunez has been doing on the training pitch recently.
Speaking to Goal, Lijnders said that the new Liverpool star is training unbelievably well at the moment. He also gave a little insight into what the Liverpool coaches are expecting to see from Nunez this season.
“He’s a centre-forward that likes to drift. He’s not a fixed No.9, and that was something we think can be good to open up spaces for others as well, which is something we think we can improve,” said Lijnders. “Is it a gamble? Maybe, but the most important thing for the player is that he feels from the players and the staff that football isn’t a perfect game.
“We deal with moments where things don’t work out well, and that we don’t lose confidence and trust in the player. We don’t judge players on one game or one moment, never. The best form of doping is confidence, as I always say!
“You obviously want to create momentum, and momentum comes with confidence, and from success. But success comes from working really hard, and Darwin is a beast working in training. He’s special, and it’s really cool that he’s with us.”
Darwin looking in good shape
Judging by what we saw from Darwin’s goal celebration against Manchester City, he takes his training pretty seriously.
In Sadio Mane, Liverpool lost a player who put his physical condition above all else. There were many testimonies that, along with Mohamed Salah, the Senegal international was first in and last out of the gym every single day.
Having lost his training buddy, perhaps Salah can now count on Nunez to spot him instead.
It’s in this Liverpool side’s DNA to be intense during the games they play. If Nunez wasn’t a player willing to put everything into being in the best shape possible, it’s unlikely that Liverpool would have signed him.
Hard work showing on matchday
As well as being a ‘beast’ in the gym, Lijnders was hopefully referring to the quality of Nunez’s football on the pitches at Kirkby.
From the limited evidence so far, things are certainly starting to click for the Uruguayan in his new team.
At first he looked a little unsure and tired out by the type of runs he needed to make. Understandable for a forward player coming into a very specific forward line. But he now looks as though he’s understanding what the coaches want from him.
Goals will help and will bring confidence that things are working. Hopefully there are more on the way in the coming games. But perhaps it’s his all-round performance rather than the goals which will give Lijnders and Jurgen Klopp the most encouragement.
Brilliant early signs from Liverpool’s number 27. If he keeps taking his intensity from training into matchday’s, then he’s going to score hatful’s here.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
