Darwin Nunez ‘needs’ individual training regime as Liverpool axe mooted – Agbonlahor
Gabby Agbonlahor has suggested Darwin Nunez should “come out of the firing line” at Liverpool after a number of confidence-breaking misses since the World Cup break.
The former Aston Villa striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted Reds coaches need to take the 23-year-old aside to work on his finishing and the timing of his runs in behind defences.
As per the Premier League official website, no player has missed more big chances than Nunez this season (15), and he has registered the fifth-most offsides (11) of any top-flight player.
His struggles were encapsulated in the loss against Brentford on Monday (2 January) as he missed two glorious chances and saw a second-half strike disallowed for offside.
Nunez has scored nine goals in 22 appearances since joining the Merseysiders for a club-record fee in the summer window.
Liverpool confirmed on Tuesday (3 January) that the formalities in Cody Gakpo’s signing have been finalised, meaning he can take part in the FA Cup against Wolves on Saturday (7 January).
Agbonlahor told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “I do like Nunez, but I think he needs a season to get going.
“I think he could do with coming out of the firing line for the next couple of games. Gakpo could come in and give the team a hand.
“The longer he keeps missing these chances, it can’t be good for his confidence.
“He’s missing these massive chances at the moment, and he needs to learn how to time his runs better. He needs that drilled into him on the training ground.
“He can give any defender a yard, he’s that quick. He doesn’t need to be offside.
“He’s got a lot of work to do on the training ground in order to get up to speed in this league, and I think we may only see the best of him from next season.”
In other news, Virgil van Dijk could be out until March after what pundit has seen at Liverpool.