"That's when the pressure will be ramped up" – Michael Owen claims Liverpool star will struggle if Mohamed Salah leaves

Ex-Liverpool striker Michael Owen has asserted that Darwin Nunez will struggle to shoulder the goalscoring responsibility all alone should Mohamed Salah decide to depart in the future.

Nunez, who joined the Reds from Benfica in a potential £85 million switch in 2022, opened the ongoing season on a fine note. The 24-year-old registered seven goals and five assists in his first 14 matches.

However, the Uruguayan has lately come under scrutiny due to his sub-par outings in and around the penalty box. He has failed to score in his last 10 club games this season, assisting twice along the way.

Speaking on the Premier League Productions, Owen claimed that the striker is not prepared to step up if Salah departs to join a Saudi Pro League club next summer. He said (h/t HITC):

"Playing alongside Mo Salah probably helps. Because goalscoring isn't a massive problem for this team. If Salah left, say he went to Saudi in the summer... when he eventually leaves, he isn't going to be there forever, of course. That will then put Nunez into sharp focus."

Owen, who scored 158 goals in 297 matches for Liverpool, concluded:

"Then Liverpool will be thinking: 'Right, where are we going to replace 25 goals in the league every season?' That's when the pressure will be ramped up and [he is not capable] not at the moment."

While Nunez has netted seven times in 24 outings this term, Salah has contributed 14 goals and eight assists in 23 games so far this season.

Liverpool unlikely to rope in a new attacker next January, claims journalist Dean Jones

Speaking to GiveMeSport, transfer reporter Dean Jones claimed that Liverpool are unlikely to sign a new attacker next January. While discussing the Reds' links with Maximilian Beier, he elaborated:

"Liverpool seem pretty set in attack. When you talk to people about what they expect from Darwin Nunez over the next year, they don't just expect him to become a 30 goals season man. They've got in there, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and all the other guys. We don't know what's going to happen with Mohamed Salah, so there's that element to it, but I don't expect them to sign a striker in January."

Meanwhile, Beier has emerged as one of the most promising forwards in Germany of late. The 21-year-old has netted six goals and provided four assists in 14 league matches for Hoffenheim so far this season.

A Hoffenheim youth product, Beier earned his name with 15 goals in two seasons on loan at Bundesliga 2 outfit Hannover before this term.