Michael Owen believes Liverpool already have a player amongst their ranks who can be the replacement for Mo Salah when his time at Anfield does come to an end.
The Egyptian King was the subject of huge interest from Saudi Arabia in the summer but remained on Merseyside and has been in fine form with the Reds currently five points clear of the top of the Premier League and fighting strong in all other competitions.
Clubs from the Saudi Pro League could resume their interest in the 31-year-old, who has 18 goals and nine assists so far this term (across all competitions), at the end of the current campaign which may prompt Jurgen Klopp and Co. into searching for a replacement for their No. 11.
But if the former Roma man was to head to the Middle East, or not renew his current deal which expires in 2025, ex-Red Owen believes Darwin Nunez could be the man to replace the Egyptian.
Owen told talkSPORT (via Football365): “Nunez is a player that has divided opinion.
“I think he’s very raw in some of his play, but I also think he’s exceptional in some of his play.
“When you think of Liverpool for the future, it’s obviously not going to be with Salah forever so somebody’s going to have to step up, or they’re going to have to replace him with someone that’s going to try and replace his goals.
“[Nunez] is probably the one guy in the team that’s got the scope to be able to do that, I see him developing into an absolute force in the Premier League.
“I still think he could go the other way, I still think he’s not the full package yet, but he does things that absolutely blow your mind.
“He’s so strong, he’s so direct, he’s so quick and he’s got so much ability. If he can just brush up in certain areas, he could be the real deal.”
Nunez netted a superb brace at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday as we defeated Bournemouth 4-0.
The 24-year-old now has 10 goals and 10 assists this term (across all competitions) – decent numbers for a so called ‘flop’, with another half of the season still to come.
We’re not sure that he will be able to supply goals on such a consistent basis like Salah has done ever since signing for the club in 2017 but our No. 9 does appear to have the skillset required to remain a part of Klopp’s plans long into the future.
There’s still plenty of work for the former Almeria forward to do but we have plenty of faith that he can continue to develop under the watchful eye of our German tactician.
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