Tuesday night was another tough one in the season of Darwin Nunez.
The striker has struggled at Anfield throughout the 2024/25 campaign since the arrival of Arne Slot despite the Reds performing above expectations as a whole.
As a result, Nunez was linked to Saudi Arabia in January as Al-Nassr tried to lure the 25-year-old away from Anfield with a £62.5m bid.
Nunez is expected to leave Liverpool this summer as things just don’t seem to be happening for the Uruguayan star on Merseyside.
That was evident again against Paris Saint-Germain as the striker missed the first penalty in the shootout contributing to the Reds’ defeat.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Ally McCoist notices ‘crazy thing’ in Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez
When it comes to Nunez, it seems that the striker takes one step forward and then two steps back at Anfield.
Nunez scored against Southampton on Saturday, yet most Liverpool fans were not confident when seeing the 25-year-old walking up to take his penalty against PSG.
Ally McCoist also had this feeling when he noticed the striker was set to take the Reds’ second penalty on the night.
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“I was listening to it because I did the Munich game, and you know when he’s coming up to take the penalty, you just don’t feel it, do you? Do you know I mean, some players you don’t feel it,” McCoist said on talkSPORT.
McCoist also tried to explain the erratic nature of Nunez’s game, by stating that the striker is better when he gets a half chance, rather than a full one as the Uruguayan star does not have to think about it.
“It’s a crazy thing to say but you’ll know what I mean here, and it is a contradiction,” the TNT Sports commentator stated. “He’s better with a half chance than a chance.”
This is an observation many pundits have already made but McCoist would go further, comparing Nunez to a star at Chelsea.
Darwin Nunez compared to Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson
Before speaking about Nunez after his role in Liverpool’s defeat to PSG, McCoist compared the Reds star to Nicolas Jackson at Chelsea.
This is a fair observation as Nunez and Jackson are similar in many ways as they are both young forwards who are yet to fully refine their games.
Both have chaotic styles and can be lethal on their day, however, fans of both Premier League clubs would not be fully confident when seeing their player go through one-on-one.
Having moved to Chelsea as part of £30m deal from Villarreal during the summer of 2023, Jackson initially struggled at Stamford Bridge but unlike Nunez, the Blues forward has kicked on this season, despite the Senegal star suffering a big injury.
Player Games Goals Assists Minutes
Darwin Nunez 39 7 6 1849
Nicolas Jackson 24 9 5 1778
Darwin Nunez and Nicolas Jackson’s 2024/25 stats
This could see the 23-year-old remain at Chelsea for a few more years, while the same cannot be said for Nunez.
The Uruguayan has the traits to be a top striker in world football, however, it seems that Liverpool is not the place that will bring them out of the 25-year-old.