Virgil van Dijk explains Arne Slot role in helping Darwin Nunez end Liverpool goal drought
Darwin Nunez scored his first Liverpool goal since April 4 against Bournemouth and Virgil van Dijk has told him what he must do next, with Liverpool enjoying a positive start to the Premier League season
by David Anderson · The MirrorDarwin Nunez has been told by Virgil van Dijk he must remain “calm” after ending his 14-game goal drought for Liverpool.
Nunez scored his first Liverpool goal since April 4 with a superb strike against Bournemouth and the Uruguay star hopes to continue up front against West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Nunez endured a testing time at the end of last season when he lost his place, fell out publicly with the fans and deleted all Liverpool references on his Instagram account.
Van Dijk says the striker is now in a much better place and says head coach Arne Slot is working with him continuously. “Any striker, on the bench, or who has a lack of confidence, works their socks off to be successful,” said the Liverpool captain.
“He got a chance to be the starting striker against Bournemouth and he worked very hard for that goal. He scored a very good goal, but he worked hard defensively when we didn’t have the ball and those are the things we need from the whole team, whether you start or come in.
“For him, coming into a club like Liverpool with the price tag, there’s always going to be pressure to produce week in, week out and he’s trying to do that, but it’s not always that easy. Now is the time for him to stay calm and I think, in my opinion, he’s been doing that much better.
“The manager is busy with him a lot, as are we players. We just have to keep him close to us and keep going. He started, but he might not start the next game and we want him to be consistent and keep doing it and doing it when he comes on and when he starts.
“Consistency is the key. I think he shouldn’t get carried away - and he won’t. Now is the time for him to recover and focus on the next opportunity he gets. That’s football. We’ll help him and the manager will help him and the club and fans as well.
“That’s the main thing, don’t get dragged into the positivity and then the low of the negativity or you’ll be dizzy at a certain point.” Nunez is firmly a fan favourite again following their fall-out in May and Anfield faithful are delighted he is back on song.
Van Dijk says the supporters love him for his work rate and his direct attacking style. “The fans love him,” he said. “They love him for his work-rate, his directness and what he brings to the table. He got his reward for the hard work he did with a good goal, but we want him to be consistent and keep doing it. I’m confident he will be fine.”
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