- Liverpool beat Toulouse 5-1
- Nunez was among the scorers
- Cole believes his finishing can still improve
WHAT HAPPENED? The Uruguayan forward is gradually realising his potential under Jurgen Klopp after a lacklustre debut season in England. He boasts of having two goals in three Europa League appearances which indicates that Nunez is finally getting in the groove.
However, the 24-year-old needs to be more clinical. He could have had a brace against the French outfit but was denied by the post as he failed to find the net despite rounding goalkeeper Guillaume Restes with the goal gaping at him. However, Ryan Gravenberch made no mistake in thumping the rebound home, which helped Nunez pick up an assist.
Although Klopp brushed aside any criticism for the striker, Cole remains unimpressed and opined that he has to work a lot on his finishing to further improve his game.
WHAT THEY SAID: "I think it does [sum him up as a player] but I think that can be harsh on him because he’s got so much to his game," Cole told TNT Sports.
"He gets an A* in every part of his game, and his performance tonight was also fantastic but his finishing is a C at the moment - but that’s something he can work on."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Cole hopes that Liverpool will stand vindicated for the £64 million ($79m) that they paid upfront to Benfica for Nunez and compared him to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba who was a late-bloomer at Stamford Bridge.
"It’s something (finishing) that often comes later on in strikers, something that they work on later like Didier Drogba," he stated.
"When he arrived at Chelsea, he wasn’t as polished as when he became the legend he was so the Liverpool fans will be hoping Darwin Nunez can turn into that kind of striker, one who seizes those opportunities and gets better with age."
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT? Nunez will be back in action on Sunday when Liverpool host Nottingham Forest at Anfield.