Pep Lijnders claims 24-year-old Liverpool player has changed his life this season

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Darwin Nunez’s life has been changed by his brace away at Newcastle United earlier in the season.

That’s the view of Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders, who has been full of praise for the Uruguayan hitman.

Taking the pre-Carabao Cup press conference yesterday, Lijnders was asked about Liverpool’s No.9. As usual with Pep, his answer was full, intriguing and very instructive.

“Compliments to Darwin, the fans love him,” smiled the coach. “He has this extreme mentality to run, to fight, to arrive in positions where nobody thinks he can arrive.

“It’s been really important that he stepped up, not just offensively but defensively as well. It’s nice to see him in a good moment. He’s a pure intuition player. He smells and he goes, he sees and he does.

“What happened for him away at Newcastle would change any player’s life — to change a game like that. Those two goals gave him confidence and an intuition player like Darwin needs this kind of confidence.

“He speaks better English already and he’s invested a lot in himself. He’s been training really hard and has done since pre-season.”

Nunez turns things around

It’s perhaps true that the two match-winning goals against Newcastle changed Nunez’s life on the pitch this season.

Prior to that turnaround, the 24-year-old had been a bit-part player for Jurgen Klopp. Granted, it had only been for the season’s opening two games, but he was clearly not the manager’s preferred option.

Since then, Darwin has started three of the last four games – scoring and assisting twice. He looks like a player reborn.

But having said that, as Lijnders also points out, Liverpool fans already loved the former Benfica striker. He didn’t necessarily need to turn anything around in that department. Supporters can see how hard Nunez works, and that’s the kind of thing which earns you love from the stands.

That he’s now coupled that love with confidence from the manager is testament to Darwin.

With the season still in its early stages, plenty can happen. It’s down to Nunez himself to ensure that he keeps developing and stays in the team.

But you get the feeling that his two goals at St James’ Park came at exactly the right moment for the Uruguay international. It has given him a platform to kick on and make it a truly memorable campaign. Who’d bet against him doing just that,