"I honestly think he will come good" - Rio Ferdinand backs 'unpredictable' Liverpool star to start performing well for club

Prominent pundit and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Darwin Nunez will eventually begin delivering the goods for Liverpool.

Nunez arrived at Anfield from SL Benfica on a deal worth around £85 million last summer. He has largely divided opinion, scoring some goals while also missing numerous chances this campaign.

The Uruguayan has scored 11 goals in 28 games across competitions but has also missed a barely believable 24 big chances. While those missed chances have infuriated fans, Ferdinand reckons Nunez will soon begin converting them. He said on his "FIVE" YouTube channel (as quoted by the Liverpool Echo):

“Do you know what I like about Nunez? I saw a quote from Nunez after. He said ‘I’m a bit like (Luis) Suarez. Second season, I’ll come good. Done it at Benfica.' I think he will. I honestly think he will come good. He’s got all the attributes that defenders don’t like to play against. He’s aggressive; he’s strong; he likes to run in behind; he’s a nuisance; he’s a bit unpredictable.”

At just 23, Nunez still has plenty of time on his side to improve. He has also previously shown a killer instinct in front of goal, scoring 34 times in 41 games across competitions for Benfica last season.

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Liverpool need Darwin Nunez to be at his best against Real Madrid

Darwin Nunez will play in one of the most important games of his short Liverpool career on Tuesday (February 21) when the Reds host Real Madrid at Anfield in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

Nunez will enter the game in good form, which will be encouraging for Jurgen Klopp's side. The Uruguayan assisted Mohamed Salah's goal in their 2-0 win over Everton in the Premier League last week. He followed that up by scoring in the 2-0 league win against Newcastle United at St. James' Park at the weekend.

He has been in decent scoring form in this season's UEFA Champions League too, scoring thrice in six group games.

Liverpool will hope Nunez can help deliver their first win over Los Blancos since 2009. The Spanish giants have notably won thrice and drawn once in their last four meetings with the Reds.

The two teams' most recent meeting was in last season's Champions League final, which Real Madrid won 1-0, thanks to Vinicius Jr.'s second-half strike.