Liverpool manager Arne Slot has defended Darwin Nunez and said he does not judge the forward only on goals.
Nunez has had a difficult start to the season and has scored just three times in 19 appearances across all competitions. The Uruguay international has been criticised for his performances and this week addressed the critics on social media.
The 25-year-old took to Instagram after the 1-0 win over Girona on Tuesday night, thanking the fans for their support while acknowledging those who have criticised him, saying: “They are not all, they are some. Thank you reds for your support, we are all still together.”
Nunez has struggled for consistency since arriving from Benfica for an initial fee of £64m in 2022. He has 36 goals in 115 appearances in a Liverpool shirt.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s fixture with Fulham at Anfield, Slot said Nunez brings more to the Liverpool team than goals alone.
“Darwin has impact. He hasn’t scored the amount of goals he or we would want but he has impact with his work rate,” Slot said at his pre-match press conference.
“He is part of a team that scores a lot of goals – I don’t only judge Darwin on his goals.”
Liverpool’s attacking options are set to be boosted by the returns of Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa this weekend. The duo have returned to training after layoffs and are in contention to face Fulham.
“I think they are (available),” said Slot. “We have one training session to go.
“Federico missed quite a lot. We have to see. Maybe Diogo is in the squad, maybe Federico as well but that depends on the numbers we have.”