"What he brings is completely different" - Liverpool legend names player who should get more game time under Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has urged Jurgen Klopp to give more minutes to summer signing Darwin Nunez.

The Reds signed the Uruguay international this summer from Benfica in a deal worth £64 million, with a further £21.3 million in potential add-ons. However, the striker has not had the best start to his career at Anfield and has been restricted to just two starts so far.

Nunez was named on the bench against Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday (September 13) as Liverpool needed a crucial 2-1 win.

He eventually came on to replace Diogo Jota in the 76th minute and had a decent outing.

Nicol, who won four league titles during his time at Anfield, has urged Klopp to show his trust in Nunez by offering him more starts.

The former Scotland right-back has insisted that Nunez offers Liverpool something different compared to Roberto Firmino and Jota. He told ESPN, as quoted by The Liverpool Echo:

“When I saw the team, the first thing I did was check the subs to see if Nunez had picked up an injury.

“You’ve got to get the guy in, get the guy minutes on the field and get him in tune with everybody - until you do that you won’t get the best out of him."

He added:

“As we all know, he’s not the finished article, he’s very raw but what he brings is completely different to what you get from Jota and Firmino, he gives you the two things they can’t do.

“Firmino is about possession, if you can get him holding the ball up and playing with Diaz and Salah that Firmino - I think he can do that - he just needs to get better at it and he can score goals because that’s what Jota is pretty much there for."

Nicol claimed that Nunez won't be able to settle in unless he gets more minutes alongside his new teammates.

The former Liverpool defender has also claimed that Nunez could turn out to be better than both Jota and Firmino in the future. He added:

“He’s the little guy in the penalty box that’s meant to pop up and put the ball in the net because I don’t think he does particularly well when it comes to link-up play or holding the ball up."

“You get him on the field and in tune with everybody. If I’m a defender, I do not want to play against him, I’d rather play against Jota or Firmino than against him, absolutely every day of the week."

He concluded:

“This guys not going to get better until he gets minutes on the field. I don’t think the other two are particularly brilliant, so get him on.”

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Darwin Nunez has endured a tough start to his time at Liverpool

Expectations were quite naturally high from Darwin Nunez following his mega-money move to Anfield. However, the Uruguayan has not enjoyed a rosy start to his Liverpool career and is yet to establish himself in the starting XI.

Nunez scored on his debut for the Reds, coming on from the bench against Manchester City in Liverpool's 3-1 win in the FA Community Shield.

The striker once again looked promising in his first Premier League outing. He scored one and assisted one after coming on as a second-half substitute against Fulham.

However, he was sent off for headbutting Crystal Palace defender Joachim Anderson in the next game.

He has since served a three-match suspension and looked ineffective as he was handed a start in the Merseyside derby which ended 0-0.

Klopp has since named Nunez on the bench in both Champions League games.