Jurgen Klopp has revealed a “long talk” between himself and Darwin Nunez before the visit of Rangers, with the Liverpool manager “completely calm.”
Ahead of the Champions League clash with Rangers on Tuesday night, plenty of focus has been on Nunez after a third consecutive outing off the bench.
The £85 million signing has struggled to live up to the price tag in the same emphatic way as his counterpart at Man City, Erling Haaland, with the Norwegian’s 17 goals in 11 games so far setting a ridiculous benchmark.
But despite concern growing among supporters already, Klopp insists he is “completely calm” over the situation with his No. 27, who he believes is “not starting to worry.”
“Of course he’s still adapting, how players always adapt,” he told reporters on Monday.
“Players, new players, come in, everybody talks about them and wants them to shine immediately. That happens from time to time and sometimes not.
“Only yesterday we had a long talk – with Pep Lijnders, because my Spanish or Portuguese is still not better – and we just told him ‘we are completely calm’.
“So it’s really important in our situation now [that he is] not starting to worry – and he’s not looking like he’s worrying or whatever.
“Why didn’t he start this game [against Brighton]? He came from international [duty] and he had a [problem] in the hamstring.
“When you get this information from the medical department it gives you some kind of minutes, how long he is allowed to play.
“You don’t start anybody who is allowed to play 20 minutes, or 15. So that’s the reason.
“But I know it’s again this kind of discussion, which we open up a little bit for the outside world.
“Of course, the three-game suspension didn’t help him settle, that’s clear. But that’s pretty much all.
“The team is not flying, that makes it not easier for a striker, especially not for a finisher.
“We create chances, but it’s not that everything is clicking and we just put one player in and he finishes our situations off.
“That’s not our situation in the moment, as much as I wish it would be. That’s all.”
Nunez could make his first start since September 3 when Liverpool take on Rangers this week, though Klopp also has Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota as options up front.
