LONDON (AFP) – Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has urged Darwin Nunez to “stay calm” after the Uruguay international broke his long goal drought for the Anfield side.
Nunez scored his first goal in 15 matches in a 3-0 win over Bournemouth and appeared tearful after his brilliant finish during the weekend.
The 25-year-old forward is hoping for a fresh start under new head coach Arne Slot after losing his place in the team in the final months of Jurgen Klopp’s reign.
He deleted all Liverpool-related photographs from his social media accounts and admitted negative comments about his form had affected him.
Van Dijk has urged his teammate to keep his feet on the ground.
“For him, coming into a club like Liverpool with the price tag (a club record USD113 millon) there is always going to be pressure to produce week in, week out and he is trying to do that but it is not always that easy,” said the Dutchman.
“Now it is time for him to stay calm and I think, in my opinion, he has been doing that much better and the manager is busy with him a lot and us as players and we just have to keep him close to us and keep going.
“He started (against Bournemouth) but he might not start the next game and we want him to be consistent and keep doing it and doing it when he comes on and when he starts.
“That’s the main thing – don’t get dragged into the positivity and then the low of the negativity or you will be dizzy at a certain point.
“Consistency is the key.”
