Jurgen Klopp hails Darwin Nunez but says Liverpool striker must develop

The 23-year-old scored his first Premier League goal at Anfield on Wednesday night and it proved to be a crucial one as Liverpool beat West Ham 1-0.

Nunez has looked impressive at times in a Liverpool shirt so far, but an early suspension for a red card and the form of Roberto Firmino has meant it has been a stop-start beginning to life with the Reds.

However, Klopp likes what he sees from the Uruguayan, he just wants to see him show a bit more composure at times.

‘We must be careful with the boys, they all have their issues,’ Klopp told Amazon Prime. ‘The goal is exceptional, the other chances he had were exceptional.

‘It was a great cross, being between the centre backs, in the air he’s a real weapon. The other movements in behind, the half volley, great saves from [Lukasz] Fabianski.

‘He’s young, he’s really young, felt hamstrings a little bit at half-time, then you have to make early changes, but that’s absolutely fine, we can do that.’

On what he wants to see from Nunez, Klopp joked: ‘I expect from him that he puts them in the back of the net.

‘He’s an exceptional talent, you can see his runs, his speed, physicality, finishing skills. He has a really good technique but doesn’t use it all the time, he’s in a rush and the first contact goes somewhere but there’s everything there, we’re really excited about it.

‘When you’re young you have time to develop but you have to develop and that’s what we’re working on.’

Virgil van Dijk also praised the former Benfica man, who is adapting to a new life in England and learning the language at the same time.

‘He has so much potential,’ Van Dijk said. ‘He’s still young, he’s learning, he’s learning the way we play, he’s learning English which is also helpful.

‘He’s the modern-day striker that causes a lot of defenders problems. You could see today, his runs in behind, his build-up play is getting better.

‘Obviously we have different weapons to try and exploit opponents and that’s good.’

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