1 year ago
390 Michael Owen has told BT Sport (broadcast on 21/2; 22:15) that he did not realise how raw Darwin Nunez would actually be when he joined Liverpool, while he also compared the Uruguayan with Didier Drogba.
Nunez scored another brilliant goal on Tuesday night as the Reds faced Real Madrid in the Champions League. It was a sublime finish that would have largely been forgotten about given what was to come.
Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
Jurgen Klopp’s men threw away a two-goal lead and now face overturning a 5-2 deficit inside the Bernabeu. It is clearly a huge task for Liverpool.
Owen compares Nunez with Didier Drogba after Liverpool loss
But they will take some positives from the first-leg. And Nunez taking a further step in the right direction is definitely one.
Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
He has come in for a lot of criticism during his time at Anfield. It has appeared at times that many on the outside have wanted the 23-year-old to fail given the fee the club paid.
But there have been signs more recently that he has turned a corner. And that finish against Thibaut Courtois on Tuesday was one.
Owen however, believes that he still has a long way to go. But he did admit that there is huge potential for the youngster on Merseyside.
“It’s a quite wonderful finish. We didn’t talk about it in any detail at half-time, but it was such a good finish. A confident finish from a lad who’s split a bit of opinion. I mean I watch him sometimes and I’ve got my head in my hands,” he told BT Sport.
“He’s raw. I mean, I didn’t think he’d be this raw when he came to Liverpool. I thought, paying that money, when I watched him here in the Champions League, I thought he was absolutely brilliant, and he does things that take your breath away. But he is going to have to be coached to be a top player.
“The player I probably liken him to, not in terms of style, but when Didier Drogba came to these shores, people laughed at him for the first year or so. His touch was awful, he made a lot of mistakes. But he got used to this game.”
In fairness, Nunez’s record for this campaign could well end up looking very similar to what Drogba achieved in his first year in the Premier League.
Drogba scored ten times in the top-flight, while Nunez is currently on six. Meanwhile, the Ivorian scored 16 in 41 in all competitions. Nunez has 12 in 29.
Liverpool would have always known, despite the fee, that Nunez was going to need time to settle. And they will surely be over the moon should they end up with a player as prolific as Drogba.
The post 'Head in my hands': Michael Owen shocked by 23-year-old Liverpool player he can barely watch at times appeared first on The Boot Room.
