Gary Lineker gives his thoughts on Darwin Nunez as a player and says where he needs to improve

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Liverpool attacker Darwin Nunez was back among the goals as he scored the opener in the 2-0 win against Aston Villa.

Nunez drew a mixed reaction from Liverpool fans after his latest display, where he also missed a handful of superb chances.

The Liverpool forward has just three goals for the season from his 14 appearances in all competitions, with two assists.

Ibrahima Konate thinks Nunez will score many more goals, and that will certainly be the case if he can become more clinical in the final third.

The Uruguay international superbly fired the ball home to put the Reds 1-0 up against Aston Villa at Anfield, in what was a blistering counter-attack from the hosts.

Gary Lineker makes Darwin Nunez claim at Liverpool

But he also spurned various chances to bolster their lead, with former Premier League striker Gary Lineker now sharing his verdict on Nunez after his latest roller-coaster display.

“He is an interesting player as a centre-forward,” Lineker said on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast. “He gets a lot of chances, which is part and parcel of being a number nine. His movement is terrific. His finishing is a little bit erratic.

READ MORE: Everything to know on Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez from his wife to net worth

“He is a constant threat, isn’t he? He must be tough to play against because he spins behind, he can come short, he can hold it up. If he could just improve his finishing by say 20%, he would be a formidable force.”

How can Darwin Nunez become a Liverpool regular under Arne Slot?

Nunez’s 65 minutes against Aston Villa summarised his time at the club so far, with the attacker having joined the Reds from Benfica for £85million in 2022, a price tag he is yet to justify.

His pace and movement are a huge threat, but his finishing simply must improve if he is to become a regular starter under Arne Slot.

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The presence of the likes of Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota should help Nunez improve, with the Uruguayan constantly needing to impress Slot to remain in his thoughts.

He now has 36 goals and 19 assists from his 110 appearances in red, which simply isn’t good enough if the Merseyside club want to challenge for silverware on a regular basis.

But there is undoubtedly a world-class player in Nunez should he work hard on the training ground and eventually turn those missed chances into goals.

There is, of course, the argument that he does not always occupy a central role, but Mohamed Salah has proven time and again that wide players can also post phenomenal scoring tallies.