It was another frustrating outing for Darwin Nunez. Subbed on against Manchester United, he threw himself about but received nothing more than a yellow card for his troubles in a performance that suggested Liverpool might soon have to think about moving on from the Uruguayan.

The 30-minute cameo might not have seemed so bad in isolation. But Nunez is now up to more yellow cards than goals and assists combined for the current Premier League campaign, sitting on half the goal tally of Diogo Jota despite playing 150 more minutes.

There have been whispers that Milan could give Nunez and Liverpool a way out with a respectable sum on the table. But the latest information is that there has been no contact just yet.

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But if an offer does materialize, either now or in the summer, Arne Slot must be thinking about accepting it. Nunez never truly looked comfortable under Jurgen Klopp despite the manager pushing for his arrival, and he looks even less at home in the Dutchman's setup.

With Federico Chiesa still the only signing of the Slot era to arrive so far, it's about time the head coach got the chance to shape the squad a little more in his image. Stability was clearly the right call in the summer, with the combination of familiarity and fresh impetus propelling the Reds toward the title in spite of Nunez's failure to ignite, but the next step will be shaking up the personnel.

That begs the question of who would be the appropriate forward for Slot's version of Liverpool. You get the sense that the former Feyenoord boss would favor a more complete striker, and the answer may already be in the Premier League.

It has been a sensational campaign so far for Liam Delap. He has managed to outscore both Nunez and Jota despite leading the line in a struggling Ipswich Town side.

Very much threatening to be another one that got away for Manchester City (I'm looking at Cole Palmer here), Delap has shown all the hallmarks of a top-quality forward. In particular, he has been sensational at driving the team forward by carrying the ball from deep, not unlike what Luis Diaz has done when Slot has used him centrally.

There are one or two question marks about whether his form in front of goal is sustainable, with Delap outperforming his expected goals tally by almost 0.1 goals per game so far this season. But Liverpool has learned the hard way with Nunez that expected goals do not always become actual goals, so it will not sniff at a clinical finisher.

I also think it's clear that Delap's output would scale up at a team like Liverpool. His numbers are one thing, but just watching him play gives you the best sense that he is ready for a top-end Premier League club: his strength, movement, and intuition all scream quality.

Especially if Ipswich go down, it's almost unthinkable for him to remain there beyond the end of the campaign. He was on Championship loans not long ago, but I get the sense he would do untold damage in that league if unleashed there now.

Still just 21, Delap has huge room to improve. He would already make a difference for Liverpool, but his prime may well still be four or five years away.

Partly for that reason, he wouldn't come cheap, regardless of whether or not the Tractor Boys survive. He cost up to $25m (£20m) in the summer and has certainly more than doubled his value since then.

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Man City may well also want to get involved, having inserted buyback and sell-on clauses into the deal. But while Delap would struggle to oust Haaland, the number nine position is still very much contested at Anfield — he would be well-placed to come in and claim it with both hands.

That's the pitch that Liverpool should make to him if it finds itself looking for a Nunez replacement any time soon. It might seem like a risk, but I have seen enough: Delap is ready for the big time, and there would be no place better for him than through the middle in the Slot revolution.