Liverpool manager Arne Slot has called on Darwin Nunez to join the “five, six or seven” players in the world who are “outstanding” every time they play.
Striker Nunez returned from suspension to score his first goals in eight Premier League games on Saturday, scoring twice in second-half added time as the leaders won 2-0 at Brentford.
“The hardest thing in football, for a team and an individual, is to find consistency,” Slott said. “Only a few players in the world can be at the same level every three days.
“There is a big, big group of players who can play well a lot of times, but not every time. He is one of the players who belong to the group that is good many, many, many times.
“But the next step for him – that would be nice – is to join the group of five, six, seven players in the world who are outstanding every three days.
“We have players who are of a very high level every three days. It’s a nice challenge for him to (join) this team. He’s probably in a good position now, because he scored two.”
Darwin Nunez Stats
The 25-year-old has started 14 of Slott’s 30 games in all competitions in the Dutchman’s first season in charge, although the Uruguay international has been on the bench for 11 of the 19 top-flight games in which he has been available.
Mohamed Salah has 21 goals this season, with Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz on 12, Diogo Jota on eight and Nunez on six.
Along with defenseman Joe Gomez, Slot believes Jota will be out for weeks rather than months with a muscle injury, potentially giving Nunez more minutes in his absence.
Liverpool vs Lille
Liverpool host Lille in the penultimate matchday of the Champions League stage on Tuesday (8pm GMT), when Nunez will be hoping to build on his performances in all of their European games so far this season.
The French side have collected notable wins over Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, but are five points behind the Reds, who are the only team with a perfect record in six matches.
“They haven’t been lucky with the games and that’s why I’m so impressed,” Slott said of the Ligue 1 third-placed opponents.
“They faced Sporting (2-0 away) when Ruben Amorim was still (coach) and Sporting were impossible to beat.
“They have faced Juventus (1-1 home draw), Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and now they face us and then my former club Feyenoord.”
Champions League: Liverpool lead
Slott cited Paris Saint-Germain’s current position in the knockout stages as evidence that finishing high in the new format of a 36-team table may not make the knockout draw favourable.
“You think number one (in the table) is the best place to finish, but being on top maybe doesn’t tell you you’re the best team,” he said.
“A lot has to do with the teams you’ve faced. We want to win, but not with the idea that it will give us the best (route) for the rest of the campaign.”
