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And in those moments when it clicks for Darwin Nunez, you could be excused for thinking you are watching the best centre-forward in the world, a wrecking-ball of a No 9 whose power and aggression are sometimes accompanied by an unexpected finesse.

Take a look at the two goals he scored away to Newcastle United in the opening weeks of this season, shortly after being sent on with a point to prove; that sumptuous volley on the half-turn, as the ball came over his shoulder, against West Ham United at Anfield; that ferocious strike soon after coming on at Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup in November; that outrageous, impudent chipped finish at Brentford to leave Mark Flekken clutching at thin air; well-taken goals for Uruguay against Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia.

But it never clicks for long.



By contrast, across the home games against Newcastle and Chelsea, he took a total of 18 shots, with a combined xG of 3.0, but didn’t score.

This season, Nunez has taken more shots (104) than any other player in the Premier League despite spending more than one-third of the time on the sidelines.

Haaland has missed more (58), though he has scored almost three times as many goals (56) as Nunez over the same period.

Nunez’s shot map for this season captures the problem.

Such as staying onside.

Nunez has been caught offside 30 times in the Premier League this season, again more than any other player.

But it was not always a convincing case earlier in the season — and it certainly hasn’t been the case lately.

There are times when Nunez gets it right, as seen with the goals he laid on for Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo in the space of three minutes in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham in January and some of the goals he laid on for Salah earlier in the season.

It is telling that the forward lost his starting place in the final weeks of last season and started just one of Liverpool’s first five games Premier League this term.
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