Stats show dramatic Darwin Nunez improvement as Tottenham star and Liverpool legend lead praise of ‘breathtaking beast’
Darwin Nunez is an exciting and chaotic Premier League striker who appears to be showing his true potential at Liverpool this year.
The statistics show the forward has massively improved from last season, while he's earning praise from plenty of current and former players.
The Uruguay international struggled for form and consistency in an average Liverpool team, but with the Reds looking better, Nunez is starting to thrive.
In 14 games this year, he's scored seven goals and provided five assists.
Meanwhile, last season, the striker got 15 goals in 42 appearances, so he's on course to smash his previous tally.
Plus, he's essentially halved his goals-per-minute ratio.
Last year, he was scoring every 124 minutes and is now banging them in every 61 minutes.
He's only played 675 minutes this season, which is nearly 1000 less than Erling Haaland, giving Nunez a better goals-per-minute ratio than the Manchester City star.
Nunez is also Liverpool's second-top goalscorer, three behind Mohamed Salah.
But Nunez could and should have more goals this season.
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He has missed huge chances in two of Liverpool's Europa League games and against West Ham in the Premier League.
However, he just keeps going and has a knack for scoring ridiculous goals.
His latest strike against Bournemouth is a fine example.
The ball was played into him, and his first touch took him 15 yards wide of where he wanted to be.
He then cut in and bent a glorious shot into the back of the net from the corner of the box.
His rapid improvement has earned praise from modern-day Liverpool great Luis Suarez.
Replying to Nunez's latest Instagram post, he said: "BREATHTAKING beast! Keep it up, goleador! #YNWA."
Meanwhile, his fellow international teammate and Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has also lauded Nunez and believes he's growing in maturity.
He said: “It seems that Darwin has matured a lot.
“And number nine, I think he also deserves it a little for all the work he has done. The only thing he has to do is enjoy himself and try to have fun.
“It is the most beautiful thing to be in a club like Liverpool and defend the national team, which is the ultimate dream that a player has.”
It's not been a straightforward time at Anfield for Nunez since joining from Benfica in the summer of 2022 for £64million.
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But the signs this year are more than positive for a player who is one of the most entertaining footballers in the world at this moment in time.
And to the delight of Liverpool supporters, he's looking like a top striker in the making.