Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has dismissed suggestions that Darwin Núñez is struggling for confidence amid reports linking the striker with a move to Saudi Arabia.
The Uruguay international has managed just two goals in 15 Premier League appearances this season, with his last goal in the competition coming against Aston Villa in November.
There had been speculation that Núñez could be set for a move to the Saudi Pro League this month, however those reports are understood to be wide of the mark, and Liverpool have not yet received any January bids for the 25-year-old.
Núñez missed Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest through suspension but is in line to return to the matchday squad against Brentford on Saturday.
Asked whether the striker is low on confidence, Slot said: “It is not my perception that he’s struggling with self-confidence.
“He was involved against Accrington Stanley for the first goal, he was involved against Fulham in the goal [Diogo] Jota scored and he scored one against Southampton. After that, he didn’t have many starts.
“For me, it’s the life of a striker. Sometimes you score, sometimes you don’t. He hasn’t started every single game. The most important thing is that we as a team are able to score every single game and there are only two games this season when we didn’t score.
“That tells me we have goals in our team. Darwin will score his goals like he did for this club already. I don’t see him struggling that much and he’s still been involved with goals.”
Núñez’s return from suspension has come at a good time for Liverpool, with Jota a doubt for Liverpool’s trip to the Gtech Community Stadium.
The Portugal international scored just 22 seconds after coming off the bench against Forest but was absent from training on Thursday and could miss the clash with Thomas Frank’s side
“It’s not sure that he will be available for tomorrow,” Slot said.
“He felt a little niggle during half-hour he was in [against Forest], he could finish the game but he was complaining [about it] after it. That’s why he didn’t train on Thursday.”
The Liverpool boss also insisted that his team have the necessary tools to compete in the Premier League, despite the club’s spending not reaching the levels of some of their biggest rivals, including that of reigning champions Manchester City.
“We know how good we have to be every single day to compete in this league,” Slot said. “It is not about this club [City], Chelsea have also spent £1.2 billion, Manchester United have spent an incredible amount.
“Every team spends a lot of money over here, that’s why it is such an interesting league to be a part of. Some seasons this club spends more, other seasons other clubs do. That’s what makes it so intense and so difficult to win this league. That is also why we all want to be here, we want to compete against the best.
“We are very happy with the team we have at the moment and are still able to compete with these teams who are spending an incredible amount of money.”
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