Liverpool sent Darwin Nunez and Luis Suarez message as Arne Slot 'needs three new signings'

Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique does not believe that Darwin Nunez is of the same quality as Luis Suarez and Darwin Nunez and has suggested that the Reds may need to find an upgrade.

Enrique has not ruled out Nunez improving after a season that saw him score 18 goals and provide another 13 assists but he says the Uruguayan may not be the exact kind of number nine that new head coach Arne Slot likes the most. Despite that, there is no suggestion that Nunez could be on the way out this summer.

"Liverpool bought Darwin Nunez for a lot of money, so Arne Slot will have to try and make it work with him at least," Enrique told Grosvenor Sport. "I know he’s a manager that likes to press and keep possession but I believe Darwin is at his best when he’s running in behind and in on goal with a lot of space.

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"Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord, Slot’s striker last year, is a very different profile to Darwin Nunez, so it’s a tough one to know if Nunez's profile will suit what Slot wants.

"You can see Darwin is giving his all to do well at Liverpool, but at the same time, I’ve seen Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres play at Liverpool. I don’t think he’s at that level at all, so Liverpool may look to bring someone of that quality in. I’d like to see him improve towards becoming like a Suarez or a Torres, and who knows maybe Arne Slot can get that improvement out of him."

Enrique was also asked about what other positions Liverpool needs to strengthen in the market this summer. Center-back is an obvious area to look at but the Spaniard believes there could be more additions on top of that.

"Jeremie Frimpong would be a great signing," he added. "Last season he was outstanding for Bayer Leverkusen. He is more of an attacking full-back like Trent Alexander-Arnold – in Leverkusen, he played with three at the back and it gave him that freedom to be offensive, often taking up the position of right wing or sometimes even striker.

"I’m not sure if Arne Slot will play with a system that suits his qualities, and it's hard to say now when we don’t know what the system will be. I really like him as a player and I think he can make the next step up, maybe to a club like Liverpool, but it would depend on what Slot wants from him.

"I will say that Liverpool need a new defensive midfielder, and they may need to look a new right back depending on if Trent is going to step into midfield. For me, they need a new right winger – I know you have Harvey Elliott who could play out there, but he’s better in the eight position in my opinion. They need a new defensive midfielder as a priority, I would say."

Liverpool.com says: This is going to be a big season for Nunez but that was going to be the case no matter who the manager of Liverpool was given it is his third campaign after two inconsistent ones. Slot will need to get more out of him but he is getting to the age where we will find out whether or not he is going to explode into life. Hopefully he can have a strong Copa America and kick on from there.