Judging Nunez on goals alone would be 'unfair', insists Liverpool assistant boss

It is unfair to judge Darwin Nunez solely on his goals after a 10-game drought for the striker, according to Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders, who believes the Uruguayan has drastically improved in his second season on Merseyside.

Nunez, 24, has scored seven goals for the Reds this term but has failed to find the net since a Carabao Cup game at Bournemouth on November 1, 10 matches ago. Klopp’s right-hand man Lijnders, though, has defended the out-of-form forward.

‘Darwin is full of desire, you see that in each game,’ said the Dutch coach, ahead of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup quarter-final with West Ham. ‘And if we would only judge players on the goals, that would be so unfair.

‘I feel that there is a good connection between Mo (Salah) and Darwin, for example - the way they see each other, they assist each other. And I feel above everything, Darwin is playing a much better season than last year.

‘The way he defends for the team, the way he controls the centre and at the same time puts the press on, the way he goes, the way he chases back, his counter-press as well. He helps us a lot when we are deep and we can play with him as a reference, so he does that much better.

‘He's learning. This guy is full of fire - and that's what our stadium likes. That's what we need as well - to lead the line in this way. He can only become better, it's a good thing. We have a really good relationship – all of us, I'm not speaking only of me, and he feels our trust.’

Liverpool have been handed several fitness boosts in the last few days, with Ryan Gravenberch’s hamstring injury not as bad as first feared and Diogo Jota, who has missed the last six games, back on the training pitch. The Reds will take precaution with both players.

Alexis