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Former Liverpool man Dirk Kuyt believes that Darwin Nunez needs to ‘decide’ if he wants to salvage his Liverpool career but acknowledged that the performances of Mohamed Salah add pressure for the Uruguay international.

The 2024/2025 season has proven to be another frustrating chapter in Nunez’s Liverpool career.

Despite his £85m price tag, the striker has managed just seven goals and five assists across all competitions?

His struggle for consistent playing time is evident with only 16 starts from his 35 appearances, while being used as a substitute in 23 matches.

The statistical underperformance is concerning for a player of Nunez’s caliber and price tag.

With just seven goals in 40 appearances this season, Darwin Nunez’s third campaign at Liverpool has once again fallen short of expectations, raising questions about the Uruguayan striker’s long-term future at Anfield.

However, according to Kuyt, transfer speculation is part of playing for Liverpool:

“I became friends with Pepe Reina and after the first season he congratulated me with the fact I was one year at Liverpool and said, ‘actually, every year you can stay at Liverpool it is a championship of your own,” he said to the PA news agency ahead of his appearance for the Liverpool Legends against Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday.

“Not only are the players who are there trying to kick you out of the team but every year there comes someone in your place.”

“I played the first season with (Craig) Bellamy and (Peter) Crouch and I was the top goalscorer and thought, ‘I will be OK for next season’ and then the club signed Fernando Torres.”

Kuyt, who is manager of Belgian outfit Beerschot, led the side to promotion last season and looks to have a bright future in management.

While the former Liverpool asserted that Nunez needs to decide himself if he wants to turn up, Kuyt also compared the situation he had with Fernando Torres – admitting it can be harder with Salah taking all the plaudits:

“You always have to be at your best to stay at Liverpool and every player has to perform day in, day out, and you know if you are not performing another player will be ready to fill your place,” he continued.

“If you know Arne Slot a little bit every day he will have tried to push Darwin to get the best out of him so he will never stop doing that and then the player decides himself whether he will play or not because he will have to perform.

“When you have a team-mate like Mo Salah – or in my time Fernando Torres – and these guys are making goalscoring so easy all the supporters want you to make as many goals as well.

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