Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez “needed” the brace against Newcastle on Sunday evening to kickstart his Reds career.

The Uruguayan international came off the bench to seal an unlikely comeback win at St James’ Park and Neville says there are similarities with Chelsea‘s Nicolas Jackson in that both players are “a massive handful” for opposition defences:

“They were brilliant finishes [from Nunez]. If ever a player needed it, it was him, We talk about Jackson at Chelsea on Friday night needing a goal, and no doubt he did, but this lad has been signed for huge money and there is a different level of expectation because of the money he has been signed for.”

“Jamie Carragher and I had a conversation on Monday Night Football last season about whether this guy would come good and we both felt he would because of some of the similar things you see with Jackson in that he runs the channels, is a massive handful and you would hate to play against him.”

You would hope that Nunez will go from strength to strength from here but a lot depends on whether manager Jurgen Klopp will begin to select him.

Will Nunez be in the starting eleven against Aston Villa?

Even after the 24-year-old’s two goals at the weekend, Klopp was careful with his words when asked about the prospect of Nunez being introduced into the starting lineup.

Despite Nunez’s confidence being sky-high after his performance against Newcastle, Klopp suggested that he is still worried about the team’s structure.

While he has no doubt that Nunez will get starts as the season goes on, when Liverpool play every few days, the goal for now is to get the team into a rhythm and performng well. There is, therefore, a good chance that the Uruguayan will be back on the bench for the Villa game.