15 hours Ago By [email protected] (Jake Bayliss, Maria Ortega)
Darwin Nunez has revealed how Luis Suarez plays a role in building up the Liverpool striker’s confidence. The Reds are flying high in the Premier League , establishing a 15-point gap to Arsenal at the top of the table. On Saturday, a tidy finish from Nunez helped Arne Slot 's side get back on level terms against Southampton before two penalties from Mohamed Salah sealed the three points for Liverpool .
It was a bright moment in a challenging campaign for Nunez, as the forward has often been used from the bench. The 25-year-old has scored seven goals so far this term, 11 short of his tally from last season. Fellow Uruguayan striker Suarez spent three-and-a-half years at Liverpool and soon became a hero at Anfield.
While Nunez has struggled to make the same impact, he has admitted that Suarez knows exactly when to reach out to his ex-international team-mate during key moments. “Yes, we always talk. Luis always shows up when things are going badly.
He doesn't like to appear much when things are going well,” Nunez told TNT Sports Mexico . “And that says a lot about him, about his character and quality as a person. Whenever we can, we chat a bit about football and life in general.
” Nunez’s display against Southampton, which included winning Liverpool’s first penalty, caught Suarez’s attention, with the 38-year-old writing on Instagram : "Clear goalscorer! YNWA.” The Reds striker also impressed his manager, who had criticised Nunez’s work-rate after a glaring miss in their draw with Aston Villa last month. “That is also the life of a number nine,” Slot said.
“You go from missing a chance to scoring an important goal to missing a chance again. But today, especially in the second half. you also saw the work rate he can bring to the team.
” It has been a positive spell for Nunez after assisting the only goal in the first leg of their Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain last week. Despite also getting on the scoresheet in the win over Southampton, Nunez refused to get carried away as the team approaches a crucial part of the season. “First of all, I'm very happy.
I’m happy for the team that has been doing things well,” he said. “Today it was a bit tough to get the three points, but we managed to pull through. “We need to keep going; this isn't over yet.
There are many matches ahead and we all know the Premier League is very difficult, but we have to keep working. Now we need to focus on the Champions League match [against PSG on Tuesday] and try to recover to be in good shape for the game.” Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content.
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