Robbie Fowler delivered a scathing verdict of one Liverpool player prior to the Reds’ FA Cup tie with Accrington Stanley, suggesting that he’s not good enough to be at the club. The Englishman was a goalscoring machine during his time at Anfield, scoring 183 goals across his two stints and becoming one of the club’s greatest attackers.
While the Liverpool teams he played in never competed at the same level that Arne Slot’s men currently do, Fowler would likely find himself a contender for the number nine role given the lack of a standout performer in that position currently. And it is one of the forwards that the ex-England international has pulled no punches in discussing.
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Fowler Slams Nunez For Not Being Good Enough
The former Liverpool striker thinks the Uruguayan has proved he is not at the level required
Speaking during an appearance on ITV ahead of the FA Cup third round clash on Saturday, Fowler held nothing back in giving his review of Uruguayan star Darwin Nunez. The former Benfica man has continuously struggled in front of goal ever since arriving from Portugal in an £85 million deal in 2022.
Despite being pinpointed as a player that new manager Slot wanted to build around at the start of the season, his inconsistency and unreliability in finding the target have seen him occupy a more rotational role. Fowler has explained exactly where the 25-year-old must improve:
“We’re saying the same things now that we were saying two years ago. ‘He’s raw, he’s this, he’s that.’ We can’t keep saying that. I think the more I see him, the more I think he’s not a Liverpool player. People might have a go at me and say he works hard. You’re not signing a player because he works hard. That should be a pre-requisite. You’ve got to come in and score goals.
“I don’t think he’s quick enough in his thought. He’s quick over the ground, but when you are a striker your speed of thought has to be quicker than anyone else. When he has time to think about it, he sort of struggles. When he’s instinctive, sometimes he looks a bit better.”
While Nunez registered the assist for Liverpool’s opening goal of the game following Fowler’s comments, he also spurned two good chances himself during the early stages of the contest. The striker is en route to having his worst return in a Premier League season yet, having managed just two goals at the halfway stage of the campaign at an xG of 2.67. He also has one goal in both the Carabao Cup and the Champions League.
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All statistics courtesy of FootyStats and the Premier League – accurate as of 11/01/2025.