Jurgen Klopp previously stated how it's the manager's job to fill Darwin Nunez with confidence amid the Liverpool striker's struggles in front of goal. The former Reds boss signed the Uruguay international in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth up to £85m and reportedly admitted that it'd be his duty as manager to provide the striker with the confidence needed to lead the line for a club as big as Liverpool.

Nunez ultimately struggled to reach the heights he achieved at Benfica in his first two seasons in Merseyside, his confidence looks lower than ever in his first campaign playing under new boss Arne Slot.

The 25-year-old has scored just four goals in 23 games this season and has been relegated to a bench role as of late due to Diogo Jota's return to fitness, Luis Diaz's fine form through the middle and Cody Gakpo's impressive displays in attack. And of course, talisman Mohamed Salah also takes up another of the attacking positions in the team.

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In regards to Nunez's situation, The Times reported in 2024 that the signing of Nunez as Roberto Firmino's long-term replacement was personally pushed by Klopp. The German went against the recommendation of the club's hierarchy, who preferred Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku, previously of RB Leipzig.

It was said Klopp spoke about how it is his responsibility to provide Nunez with the confidence to perform – and now, Slot certainly has a major job on his hands to restore Nunez with belief in the midst of a title race.

The Dutchman had questioned whether his failure to put away several chances during Liverpool's 1-0 win over Girona last month was down to a lack of confidence.

"What I can agree on is that he missed a few chances," Slot said during his post-match press conference. "Then it's always the question: does this have anything to do with low confidence, or is this a situation where he's in at the moment?

"I think every striker all around the world has periods where every ball goes in, and sometimes he has a period where you try so hard but you're not able to score.

"The good thing is that we have many players that can score for us — today Mo [Salah] again.

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"I would have loved to see Darwin score because I think every striker wants to score [and] needs goals — that's why I kept him in for quite a long time. He was a threat but unfortunately, he couldn't score."

Nunez will likely be on the bench for Liverpool's clash against Manchester United today (January 5) which is at risk of being postponed due to heavy snowfall.

The club said while the game is so far planned to go ahead as normal, a further safety meeting will occur at midday to assess the latest weather conditions.