Thierry Henry has heaped praise on Darwin Nunez after his goalscoring cameo against Napoli, likening him to Alexis Sanchez and Luis Suarez.
The 23-year-old was named on the bench for the Reds’ 2-0 victory over the Serie A leaders on Tuesday night.
Entering the match on 73 minutes, the Uruguay international proved a handful for Luciano Spalletti’s side, forcing an error from goalkeeper Alex Meret as Mohamed Salah opened the scoring.
Nunez was then on target in stoppage time, firing home on the goal-line after Virgil van Dijk’s header was initially saved by Meret.
After his £64million switch from Benfica in the summer, the forward has struggled to adapt to life in England so far, but is starting to find his feet.
Nunez has since scored five goals in seven matches, and Henry has heaped praise on the Liverpool forward, believing he will eventually be a handful for defenders.
“I think he needs confidence,” Henry said speaking on CBS Sports.
“The confidence I’m talking about is when you are at a club, and you feel like you are going to play week in, week out. You are a bit colder in front of the goal.
“Because he wants to please so much, and do so much, and wow the Liverpool fans, he rushes it.
“He gets the ball and rushes it instead of controlling the ball and going back on his right foot or finishing it clean.
“I went through that. When you arrive, big signing, you’re coming after Sadio Mane, that’s not easy to do, and you overdo it at times instead of being calm and cool.”
Henry added: “He’s more the type of guy [that] when he gets one [goal] things will come. Is he a finisher like Robbie Fowler? I don’t think he is a finisher like Robbie Fowler.
“Not a lot of people were like Robbie Fowler, in fairness. But he has goals in him, he’s a bit more of a handful. A bit like Alexis Sanchez or a young Luis Suarez, where you felt like things were bouncing off him.
“When you start to master what you’re good at you can control it better, and when that will happen to him I think he can be a handful.
“This Liverpool side is a bit different because the team waits, you are playing in the last third and he needs to adapt to that. Which isn’t easy.”
Nunez now has six goals in 13 games for the Reds, and will be looking to continuing his goalscoring form, before the season comes to as temporary close for the World Cup.
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News Summary:
- Arsenal legend Thierry Henry says he struggled like Darwin Nunez and compares Liverpool star to ‘young Luis Suarez’ and Alexis Sanchez
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