Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp pleads with fans to give Darwin Nunez time after tough start following record £85m transfer
JURGEN KLOPP has called for fans to have patience with new boy Darwin Nunez.
The Uruguayan international forward, 22, became the Reds’ record signing this summer.
Klopp forked out £85million to bring the ace to Anfield from Benfica to fill the void left by Sadio Mane’s departure to Bayern Munich.
Nunez scored in Liverpool’s opening Premier League game at Fulham but has found it difficult since.
He was sent-off for headbutting Joachim Andersen in the club’s next match against Crystal Palace which led to a three-match ban and he has failed to find the target in four games since returning from suspension.
However, Klopp defended his big-money buy ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League clash with Rangers and insists that he is still adjusting to his new surroundings.
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He said: “Of course he's still adapting. Our players always adapt.
“New players come in and everybody talks about them and wants them to shine immediately, that happens from time to time and sometimes not.
“Only yesterday, we had a long talk, with Pep Lijnders [Klopp’s assistant], because my Spanish or Portuguese is still not better.
“We just told him: we are completely calm so it's really important in our situation that he's not worrying. He's not looking like he's worrying or whatever.
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“[The reason] why he didn't start this game [against Brighton] was he came from international and he had doms in the hamstrings and when you get this information from the medical team, they give some kind of minutes of how long he's allowed to play. Don't start anybody who's only allowed to play 20 minutes or 15.”
Klopp added: “Of course, the three game suspension didn't help him to settle, that's clear. But that's pretty much all.
“The team is not flying, that [doesn't make it] easier for a striker, especially a finisher.
“We create chances, but it's not as if everything is clicking and we just put one player in and he finishes our situations off. That's not our situation at the moment as much as I wish it would be and that's all.”