Liverpool transfers: Darwin Nunez can be as good as Fernando Torres says ex-Red

Stick with Darwin Nunez or risk watching him become a world-class talent elsewhere. That is the warning being given to Liverpool by their former striker Rickie Lambert amid transfer uncertainty around the Uruguayan. 

Darwin, 24, has experienced a difficult end to the season, being dropped by Jurgen Klopp from his preferred XI, starting only ONE of the final six Premier League matches of the season. 

That outing came in one of Liverpool’s worst showings of the entire campaign, a 2-0 loss at Everton in the Merseyside derby, and he was only in the lineup because Cody Gakpo was away with his partner, Noa, who’d gone into labour. 

Nunez ended up with 18 goals from 54 matches overall, not a bad return by any means, but he was severely criticised by supporters and the media for his form in front of goal as Liverpool slipped out of contention in the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Europa League. 

Abuse became so bad that Nunez ended up deleting all references to Liverpool from his Instagram profile and links to Barcelona ramped up in the closing stages of the season. 

While it’s unlikely that the Catalans can afford Nunez, who could end up costing Liverpool £85 million, he is certainly cutting a disconsolate figure at Anfield at the end of the campaign. 

Nunez can make Torres-like impact

Under contract until 2028, the Reds under new coach Arne Slot MUST persist with the former Benfica striker, according to Lambert, who believes he can become as effective as Fernando Torres in the Liverpool attack. 

Although he left under a storm, Torres was a Kop favourite throughout his time on Merseyside, scoring 81 goals in 142 games across four seasons at Anfield. 

“I can see the potential in him,” Lambert told talkSPORT. “I love him the way he is, if he stays just the way he is, I love him. 

“But I can see him being as impactful as Fernando Torres. That’s where I can see Nunez. We’ve got to stick with him. 

“The next manager’s got to get him on the training pitch, repetition on them shots, on every angle, left foot, right foot. Within a few months, a year, them chances will start going in. 

“His all-round game is already there. He can hold it up and he can get in behind. A player at the top level who can do that, you can’t let them go.

“If we let him go, without a doubt, he is going to turn into a world-class player somewhere else.”

England international Lambert played for Liverpool from 2014-15, scoring three goals in 36 appearances.