No mercy, Liverpool legend's harsh criticism of Darwin Nuez after his fight with Guardiola

Former Liverpool star and one of England's club legends, ex-forward Robbie Fowler, has been mercilessly critical of Uruguay's Darwin Nunez's performance for Jürgen Klopp's side. The Reds legend has questioned Darwin, admitting he is not convinced Klopp can ever turn the striker's "rawness" into that of a title-winning striker. Fowler is Liverpool's second all-time top scorer in the Premier League, winning the UEFA Cup and European Super Cup in 2001, the FA Cup twice and the English League Cup twice domestically.

This European summer, when he was handed the number nine shirt once worn by Fowler, Nunez has impressed hugely in his second season at Liverpool, scoring seven goals and registering five assists in 18 appearances so far. After starting the season behind Cody Gakpo in the pecking order, the 24-year-old has seemingly established himself as Klopp's preferred central attacking option, forming a lethal partnership with Mohamed Salah and scoring important goals, including winning goals against Newcastle United and Bournemouth.

Klopp recently insisted that Nunez's difficult adaptation period was a thing of the past, and that the striker had overcome the initial problems that hampered his first year at club level. However, despite his improved form, he continues to be criticised. Nunez has now gone four Liverpool games without scoring after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Manchester City, despite taking four shots. In his column for the Mirror, Fowler was relentless in his assessment of Nunez, comparing him to City's Erling Haaland.

Fowler wrote: "How long do they give him? He arrived at Anfield almost 18 months ago and yet we are still talking about this potential, this 'exciting rawness'. But you can't spend your whole career being raw. Can he?" "I have sympathy for Nunez because he arrived at Liverpool at the same time Haaland arrived in the Premier League and obviously the difference is huge, even if the City striker cost less and his level of experience was strikingly similar." On the Liverpool striker's finish in Saturday's game, Fowler added: “Nunez was in a similar position (to the one Haaland scored from) with the defence dropping back in front of him, and that same space opened up in front of him. But there was no touch to open up a good shooting angle, he was just waiting for something to happen in front of him.”