Arne Slot offers Darwin Nunez ultimatum as £85m star out within the chilly at Liverpool
Arne Slot has given Darwin Nunez a stern warning following the striker’s lacklustre start to the 2024/25 season.
The forward, who joined as a record-breaking £85million signing two years ago, hasn’t lived up to expectations since his arrival. There were hopes that Slot could bring out the best in him at Liverpool, but this has not been the case so far.
Nunez is yet to start a game for the Reds this season and has only been used as a substitute by new manager Slot. When asked what Nunez needs to do to secure a place in the starting XI ahead of Saturday, Slot responded: “He needs the same as all the others, work really hard and the goals will come.
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“That’s what he did against [AC] Milan, he came in for the team and then as a result of that attackers have goals or assists. It happened with Cody [Gakpo] so if you play for a team like Liverpool you’ll get them [goals and assists]. For me, it’s the work you do without the ball.
“He will get his chance in the near future, we play a lot of games, he is fitter and fitter and understands day by day what we want from him. But he’s in competition with Diogo [Jota] who has done well,” reports the Express.
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Nunez was given 20 minutes in Tuesday night’s Champions League win over AC Milan, where the Uruguayan was active at the front of the attack, but failed to make a significant impact on the match. The former Benfica star managed two shots during his brief appearance, with just one recorded as an effort on target.
In contrast to Nunez, Gakpo certainly made his presence felt at San Siro, bagging an assist on his first start of the season. Speaking about Gakpo’s impact, Slot said: “His game might’ve come from anger [after being previously left out], but you don’t need anger to play in the best possible way.
“If you play every week or just once in a while, you have to give it your best. I think he benefits from two things, that is his own quality, we know how special of a player he is.
“And he benefits from the players around him and the team, the structure, the moments when he gets the ball. That made a great a performance, but the one [player] he’s in competition with had some great performances as well.”
