Jurgen Klopp praises 23-year-old Liverpool star for being a “racehorse” in Fulham win

Jurgen Klopp praises Darwin Nunez for being a “racehorse” during the Fulham win

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praises the performance of Darwin Nunez during the 1-0 win over Fulham on Wednesday.

The Uruguayan struggled to have a handful of chances in front of the goal but worked hard, pressed well from the front and tried linking up with the players around him.

It was his pressing of Issa Diop that led to the Fulham defender losing possession and bringing the attacker down in the box. Mohamed Salah converted the spot-kick which turned out to be the match-winning goal.

Here’s what Klopp said about Nunez’s performance at Anfield (h/t Belfast Telegraph):

“Darwin was like a racehorse, really motivated, really on fire. Absolutely. I think for us it’s super-important. You could see in the beginning, defending the centre against Fulham is really important because Palhinha is there and that is their connector.

“We were a bit too early out there from Darwin, we tried to fix that, but he was like a racehorse – go, go, go, go for everybody.

“We opened up and that’s where we struggle slightly. We could sort that and apart from that he played a really good game, he was always a proper option for us and we needed that.”

It has not been all smooth going for Nunez in his first season at Liverpool, but the shortcomings have been overexaggerated to an extent.

The 23-year-old has got 15 goals and four assists in 41 appearances in all competitions. The fact that he has not started in most of those appearances makes the numbers even better.

Moreover, this is his first season in English football. Not knowing the language and simultaneously adapting to a new league is not an easy task for a young player.

It feels like Nunez is more of a confidence player. That is probably why Klopp praised his display against Fulham despite it being a bit hit-and-miss.

We would expect the 23-year-old to be better next season. The experience of this campaign and having another pre-season under his belt would be helpful. The hope is that he is able to communicate in English by then as well. While it is not a prerequisite, it really helps.

More Liverpool News:

• Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson admits top four is far ahead after the Fulham win
• Chelsea eye a move for Liverpool target and Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana
• Bayern Munich star Ryan Gravenberch backed to push for Liverpool transfer

For now, with five games remaining, Liverpool and Darwin Nunez should focus on winning them all and hoping that it gives them Europa League football for next season at the least.