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Liverpool have played two friendlies so far and won them both, with Darwin Nunez showing promising signs of improvement.

The Uruguayan has never managed to hit the heights many expected him to since moving from Benfica for what was, at the time, a club record fee of £85m.

Napoli were interested in Nunez and he was keen on the move, but Liverpool’s asking price of £65m proved too steep and the Italian giants have moved on.

However, after performing well at Preston and netting a hat-trick against Stoke, many fans have suggested that the 26-year-old has turned a corner and should stay around for another season.

But, although there are clear signs of improvement, there is one clear reason why supporters should not be fooled by his excellent form.

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Pre-season is a very controversial talking point as some people believe results and performances can tell a lot about a team, while others merely see it as an opportunity for players to regain fitness.

Nunez has certainly taken his chances so far and some fans think that he should stick around as the back-up striker, perhaps even earning his way back into a starting spot.

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However, despite appearing more clinical, Nunez has shown promising signs in pre-season before, suggesting that he hasn’t actually improved.

The best example of this was in 2022, the year he signed for the club, as Nunez netted four times in one game.

This got fans super excited as their latest addition looked like he was about to hit the ground running, but he went on to score just nine in the league that season.

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Not only this but he scored those four goals against RB Leipzig and, no offence to Preston North End, but the German side are considerably better.

It is certainly a glimmer of hope by seeing Nunez know where the back of the net is, but by no means should it be used as an excuse to keep hold of him and try again for the fourth time.

One thing that these good performances may help Liverpool achieve is that it might slightly raise his market value, meaning the Reds will get closer to that £65m than they may have got before.

But, with Hugo Ekitike coming in soon, and perhaps even Alexander Isak in a dream scenario, Nunez’s chances will be more limited than ever, suggesting he still needs to leave to better his career.

The Uruguayan still has interest in Italy but most of it comes from Saudi Arabia, a destination that will prove favourable for Liverpool given their unlimited war chest of funds.
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