Michael Owen has changed his opinion on Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez

Michael Owen has expressed his doubts about whether Darwin Nunez can truly hit the heights expected of him at Liverpool, yet he's quick to dismiss the notion that the upcoming season with Arne Slot at the helm is the Uruguayan's make-or-break moment at Anfield.

Despite a commendable 15 goals in his first season followed by an 18-goal haul with 13 assists, Nunez experienced a dry spell, failing to score in 10 consecutive games towards the end of the season.

Nunez, who arrived for an initial $80m fee, is believed to have racked up additional costs due to appearance-based add-ons, aligning his transfer sum with Virgil van Dijk's at a record-equalling $94m. With potential bonuses tied to team success, this figure could soar to £85m.

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In a conversation with AceOdds, Owen refuted the idea that Nunez might be on thin ice if his performance doesn't escalate but acknowledged that at 25, the striker might have plateaued.

"I don't think [this is Nunez's last chance]," Owen remarked. "I think the only thing that you could say is that people really like him. People are really hopeful that he could turn into a top player because obviously, they see some attributes that are phenomenal and hard to teach. But I think if he continues like he is now, I think people will probably just accept that that's what he's going to be forever.

"When I first saw him, I thought, geez, he's raw. I expected it obviously. I knew his age, but I expected that of a younger player. That he's going to learn more about the game and the role and things like that. But with his age, you think to yourself, well, if he's not learned it by now and I've been saying it for a couple of years now, but probably I'm starting to think that what you see is what you get now. A talented boy who's got great attributes that will certainly have a big role to play for Liverpool.

"Two years ago, I thought this kid could be anything. I was so excited in a way to see what he could be. Now I'm starting to come around to thinking what we see is what we get.

Regarding the appointment of Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp's successor, Owen added: "No matter what happens, and it'll be the same when Pep Guardiola leaves or any top managers, it always happens and has always been the case. It's always going to be a comedown. It's simply impossible to say.

"Unless Pep Guardiola walked in through the door, then it's a comedown, isn't it from Jurgen Klopp. So, people have just got to get their heads around that. Back the new manager, hope that everything goes well, obviously, Liverpool fans will give him time and give him support and everything else like that. That's all that can happen. But as I say, unless Pep Guardiola walks through the door at Anfield, then it's going to be a come-down on Jurgen Klopp.

"I mean, anybody that has a massively strong opinion said: 'Oh, yeah, he's going to be a perfect match or he's going to be a total failure.' I mean, what can you say? It's going to be really interesting. We've seen other teams in the past in the Premier League have had a manager for a long period of time and it's probably, the stats are pointing against him.

"You would say, when Ferguson left, we all know what happened after that and it's still happening to this day. When Arsene Wenger left, it was not great for a good period of time, now they're just coming back.

"So, a lot of teams that have had a manager for a long period of time tend to struggle straight after. But that's not to say, two examples in the Premier League era aren't sufficient to say, that's going to be exactly the same. So, who knows? But what you do know is that Jurgen Klopp was an incredible manager. That's going to be huge boots to fill."

"The main challenge? Expectation. You come into a club where there's no room for error really, winning the league or winning the Champions League or finishing second and winning a couple of cups or whatever it might be. I mean, there's not much room for error."

"Demands are high, expectations high, coming off the back of a great decade of football, not just football that's turned into trophies, but real amazing nights, amazing games, great style of play. I think the whole package really. You don't come to Liverpool and get an easy ride. In terms of now, the pressure's off. I mean, it ramps up another 10 levels probably. So, he's got loads of struggles, twists, turns, challenges and everything else everywhere he turns really. That's what comes with the title."

Nunez is currently representing Uruguay at the Copa America, scoring in their 3-1 victory against Panama in their opening game on Monday.