Liverpool coach Arne Slot has urged Darwin Nunez to join the “five, six or seven” players in the world who are “outstanding” every time they play.
Striker Nunez returned from suspension to score his first goals in eight Premier League games on Saturday. He scored twice in second-half injury time as the league leaders won 2-0 at Brentford.
“The hardest thing in football for a team and an individual is to find consistency,” said Slot. “Few players in the world manage to be at the same level all three days.
“There is a very large group of players who can play well many times, but not every time. He is one of the players who belongs to the group that is good many, many, many times.
“But the next step for him – it would be nice – would be to get into the group of five, six, seven players in the world who are outstanding every three days.
“We have players who are of a very high level every three days. It’s a nice challenge for him to join this group. He’s probably in a good position now because he scored two goals.”
Darwin Nunez statistics
The 25-year-old started 14 of Slot’s 30 games in the Dutchman’s first season in all competitions, although the Uruguay international was on the bench for 11 of the 19 top-flight games for which he was available.
Mohamed Salah has scored 21 goals this season, with Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz on 12, Diogo Jota on eight and Nunez on six.
Alongside defender Joe Gomez, Slot believes Jota will be out for weeks rather than months with a muscle injury, potentially giving Nunez more minutes in his absence.
Liverpool vs Lille
Liverpool host Lille on the penultimate matchday of the Champions League on Tuesday (8pm GMT), when Nunez will hope to continue his winning streak in all European games so far this season.
The French side have picked up notable wins against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid but are five points behind the Reds, the only team with a perfect six-game record.
“They haven’t had any luck with the games and that’s why I’m so impressed,” Slot said of their opponents, who are in third place in Ligue 1.
“They met Sporting (2-0 away loss) when Ruben Amorim was still there (coach) and Sporting were unbeatable.
“They played against Juventus (1-1 draw at home), Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid and now they face us and then my former club, Feyenoord.”
Champions League: Liverpool leads
Slot cited Paris Saint-Germain’s current position in the elimination spots as evidence that placing high in the new 36-team single-table format may not make the knockout draw favorable.
“You think number one (in the table) is the best position, but being at the top might not tell you that you are the best team,” he said.
“A lot of it has to do with the teams you competed against. We want to win, but not with the idea that it will give us the best path for the rest of the campaign.”
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