Darwin Nunez may not be firing on all cylinders this season, but former Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders still sees something special in the Uruguayan forward.
While the goals have dried up and manager Arne Slot has shown signs of frustration, Lijnders has offered a more supportive voice — one that believes in what Nunez brings to the table.
Speaking in the new Amazon documentary covering Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool era, Lijnders shared his admiration for Nunez’s spirit.
“We love to work with this one because the passion is insane. The ambition is even higher than the passion. The love for the ball. In each game, he creates six chances by himself and this is a new chapter. This is LFC back to the number nine chapter,” he said.
Pep Lijnders explains why he still believe in Darwin Nunez
Despite the praise, Nunez’s stats this season haven’t made much noise.
He has found the net just five times in the Premier League and eight across all competitions.
For a player who wears the No. 9 shirt at Anfield, those numbers don’t quite echo the club’s past legends in that role.
Lijnders, however, is not just focused on the goals.
“Some players are just about scoring, but you’re becoming more and more of an assist provider,” he told Nunez. “I still think you’ve got so much to offer.”
But that growth hasn’t fully shown under Slot. The manager recently voiced his concerns about Nunez’s lack of work rate in games against Wolves and Aston Villa.
“I can accept it once but twice was a bit too much. That’s why I addressed it,” Slot explained. “But if you miss a chance, you need to be fighting for the team.”
For now, the striker’s future looks uncertain with transfer talk swirling ahead of the summer.
But in Lijnders, Nunez has a former coach who’s willing to back him, even when the goals aren’t coming
