Liverpool manager Arne Slott has called on Darwin Nunez to join the “five, six or seven” players in the world who “stand out” every time they play.
Striker Nunez returned from suspension to score his first goal in eight Premier League matches on Saturday, scoring twice during second-half extra time as the leaders beat Brentford 2-0.
“The hardest thing in football, for a team and an individual, is finding consistency,” Slott said. “Only a few players in the world are able to stay at the same level every three days.
“There is a very large group of players who can play well many times, but not every time. He is one of the players who belongs to a good group many times.
“But the next step for him – it would be great – is to get into the world's top five, six or seven players every three days.
“We have players at a very high level every three days. It's a nice challenge for him to (join) that group. Maybe he's in a good place now, because he scored two goals.”
Darwin Nunez statistics
The 25-year-old has started 14 of Sloat's 30 matches in all competitions in the Dutch coach's first season in charge, although the Uruguay international has been on the bench in 11 of the 19 Premier League matches he has been available for. .
Mohamed Salah scored 21 goals this season, while Cody Jacobo and Luis Diaz scored 12 goals, Diogo Jota eight goals and Nuñez six goals.
Along with defender Joe Gomez, Slott believes that Jota will miss weeks rather than months due to a muscle injury, which could give Nunez more minutes in his absence.
Liverpool vs Lille
Liverpool host Lille in the penultimate round of the Champions League on Tuesday (8pm GMT), with Núñez hoping to continue his run of form in all his European appearances so far this season.
The French side have recorded notable victories over Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, but are five points behind the Reds, the only team with a perfect record in six matches.
“They were unlucky in the matches, which is why I admire them so much,” Slott said of the opposition, which is third in Ligue 1.
“They played Sporting (a 2-0 away defeat) when Ruben Amorim was still (the coach) there and it was impossible to beat Sporting.
“They played Juventus (1-1 draw at home), Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and now they face us and then they face my former club, Feyenoord.”
Champions League: Liverpool leads
Sloat cited PSG's current position in the elimination places as evidence that a top-place finish in the new 36-team single-table format may not make the knockout draw favourable.
“You think that first place (in the table) is the best position to finish, but being at the top may not tell you that you are the best team,” he said.
“A lot of it has to do with the teams we played against. We want to win, but not with the idea that it will give us the best way into the rest of the season.”
