Will Darwin Nunez have his big breakthrough at Liverpool this season?

The Uruguayan striker has been in excellent form during pre-season so far.

Darwin Nunez has now had a whole season to adapt to the Premier League, and this year he must prove why Liverpool paid nearly €80.00m for him. Last season was a mixed one for Nunez, as a difficult start resulted in criticism from several quarters, but in the latter half of the season, he showed glimpses of his qualities.

Darwin Nunez in the Premier League 2022/23:
Games: 29
Goals: 9
Assists: 3
Shots: 84
Shots on target: 37
Chances created: 28

Darwin Nunez in all competitions 2022/23: 
Games: 42
Goals: 15
Assists: 4

Looking at Nunez's stats for the 2022/23 season, they are quite decent considering it was a young striker's first season in the Premier League. However, his price tag also raises expectations for the upcoming season, and it must be said that he has done his part in pre-season to be the preferred striker when the Premier League starts again.

Nunez in pre-season: 
Minutes played: 135  
Goals: 4 
Assists: 1 
Shot accuracy: 100% 

There are two things that need to be worked on with Nunez over the summer for him to adapt even more to Liverpool's playing style: his finishing and his defensive involvement in the team, which Klopp has publicly stated is essential for an attacker in his system. Nunez missed too many chances last season, so his sharpness needs to improve next season for the goals to come.

He will have to compete for a spot with Gakpo, who is a different type of player. Gakpo is more like Roberto Firmino, a player who goes deep into the field to participate in the game, whereas Nunez is more of a striker who likes to exploit the spaces behind the defense.