Liverpool told it has found it's 'new Divock Origi' and it might surprise some
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Jay Spearing has said he can see similarities between Darwin Nunez and former fans’ favorite Divock Origi.
The latter spent eight years at Liverpool and mainly played back up to the famous front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. But Origi’s penchant for popping up with big goals made him something of a Liverpool cult hero during his time on Merseyside.
Memorably, he netted the second goal off the bench in the 2019 Champions League final, the 2018 winner in the Merseyside derby and the final goal in a 3-2 win over Newcastle United during the 2018/19 title run-in. There was also the famous brace against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, although Origi did start that game.
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Nunez has shown signs of similar qualities during his time at Liverpool and netted a decisive brace off the bench in Liverpool’s last Premier League game, the 2-0 win over Brentford. The Uruguayan has also rarely been the main man for Liverpool, and Spearing can see similarities between him and Origi.
“You can see the comparisons between the two,” he told LFCTV ahead of the midweek Champions League win over Lille. “The goals they score when they come onto the pitch are important ones.
“In the Premier League he’s the one to score the ones that turn into winners, so he’s a player for big occasions and big moments when someone needs to step up and get that winning goal and change the game.
“He can come off and changes games massively because he is that sort of player who can come on and cause carnage. He runs in behind, he wins headers, he leaves challenges on defenders. To see someone like Nunez come on late on you must be thinking: ‘Oh no,’ that’s the last thing they want to see. He’s an impact player when he comes on.”
Nunez has been linked with a move away from Liverpool this window, with reported interest from Saudi Arabia. But a fresh injury to Diogo Jota makes a January exit look increasingly unlikely and should provide Nunez with more minutes.
As for Origi, he joined AC Milan in 2022 but hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success as he did at Liverpool. The 29-year-old has been frozen out of the squad and is currently training with the reserve team. Origi spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Nottingham Forest but played just 20 times in the Premier League, failing to score a single goal in the process.
