Liverpool's £85m decision justified this season but there's one thing that needs to improve

Darwin Nunez has been a divisive figure for the entirety of his Liverpool career so far through the good and bad moments and the figures continue to reflect a player who is still polarising.

Nunez finished his debut campaign in England with 15 goals and four assists in 42 games and was brandished as a work-in-progress by many, whereas this season has been a complete contrast. 18 goals and 13 assists shows the clear improvements in his output. Still, there are areas where he can improve and if he can make these incremental improvements for next season then he could be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Erling Haaland.

As stated, there’s two areas in which he can improve and, if he does, he will ascend to a new level. Firstly, according to WhoScored, Nunez has the worst big chance conversion rate (20%) in Europe's top five leagues this season (20+ presented). This was a criticism that was levelled at the Uruguayan last season as he finished near the top of the ‘big chances missed’ charts in the Premier League.

All the most potent forwards top these lists such as Haaland and teammate Mohamed Salah which means that he is continually getting into goal-scoring positions and, as many predicted last year, it has translated into a higher output this season. But while more goals have come there haven’t been any against the traditional ‘top six’ sides.

He has failed to make his mark on the biggest games this season - that is a fact - but there have been moments of success. Take the penalty he won against Manchester City, for example, as well as the five assists he provided against Aston Villa, Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United. Plus, his late double to defeat Newcastle early on in the season lit a fire under Klopp’s side and helped propel them on to a sensational run before Christmas.

Despite that, he has the 2nd highest G/A per 90 rating in the Premier League which ensures he sits within the elite bracket of attackers. That’s where he has improved massively after a development year, as he learnt the ways of English football and Liverpool, which can be difficult for any incoming player. It’s also worth noting his time at Uruguay with Marcelo Bielsa, who has championed him as their first-choice number nine, has helped to instill confidence and motivated him to embrace the chaos has also paid dividends.