Liverpool have told Darwin Núñez he has a fundamental flaw in the ruthless Premier League legend

Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez couldn’t avoid coming under the microscope even as his side hit four against Spurs. The Uruguayan was left out from the start and caused grunts of frustration after coming on when he was involved when some promising fast breaks broke down.

He then took more control, cryptically deleting almost all posts referencing Liverpool from his Instagram profile. This has fueled transfer speculation amid tenuous links with Barcelona.

Núñez has been the lightning rod for Liverpool’s restlessness in recent weeks as the end of their Premier League title challenge coincided with a barren spell in front of goal. While the 24-year-old’s overall numbers for the season remain respectable, it’s impossible not to regret the many missed chances that have seen several pieces of silverware slip away.

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But he certainly wasn’t the only offender in front of goal and there remains plenty of optimism that he can unlock his full potential at Liverpool, with the promise of an absolutely unplayable phenomenon lurking not far below the surface. Of course, that’s based on the record signing remaining at Anfield.

But one Premier League legend believes Liverpool will be waiting in vain if they expect Núñez to become truly elite. Jermain Defoe has told Premier League Productions that Diogo Jota is the club’s best finisher.

“I think Jota is probably the best finisher,” said Defoe. “He actually finishes, like calculated finishes. Salah and Núñez, shoot if that makes sense. They don’t finish.

“Even Núñez, in the last action when he went through the goal, the obvious solution was to go around the goalkeeper and then pass it into the empty net. But for whatever reason, they try to push it over him. It is the wrong thing to do in this situation.

“The chances, when it comes down to it consistently, like week after week and game after game and you miss all those chances, then you’re competing with teams like Man City and Arsenal who have those chances and the players convert those chances. Then you’re going to be left behind.”

Defoe is ninth in the Premier League’s all-time top scorers list, five ahead of Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian certainly has reason to question the claim that he is not “finishing”, but in the case of Núñez, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the criticism.

Liverpool.com says: The most damning truth that Defoe touches on is that Liverpool have a small margin for error, with Manchester City and Arsenal performing so well. It’s great that Núñez has so many chances, but there’s only so much time he can be applauded for that if he puts just a small proportion in the back of the net. Titles are decided on fine margins.

However, the fact that Defoe also throws Salah into this category shows that perhaps there is a way forward for Núñez, even without a drastic improvement in finishing. While he may never become a true poacher, there’s reason to believe that sheer volume will eventually pay off in the long run, especially since at least some of his woes in front of the goal can be attributed to bad luck.