‘Right now…’ – Jamie Carragher makes ominous prediction about Liverpool forward’s future | OneFootball

Jamie Carragher has named one player who, despite having a part to play in helping Liverpool to ‘get over the line’ in this season’s Premier League title race, he doesn’t expect to be at the club next term.

Fabrizio Romano reported last week that there’s ‘genuine’ interest from Saudi Arabia in Darwin Nunez, but if this is to be the 25-year-old’s final campaign at Anfield, he’s not going quietly!

Signed for an initial £64m (potentially rising to £85m with add-ons) in 2022, the Uruguayan has shipped endless criticism since coming to England but has made a habit of scoring stoppage time winners, coming off the bench to do just that against Brentford last weekend.

Carragher still doubtful over Nunez’s future

On Sky Sports News on Monday evening, Carragher was asked if he felt that Liverpool’s number 9 had ‘done enough to stay at the club’ following his recent heroics.

The pundit replied: “No, not really. Maybe right now, but I wouldn’t imagine that he’ll be at the club next season. I don’t know, I’m not privy to those conversations, but when you spend that type of money on a striker and he’s not first choice…

“He’s probably third choice. Jota when he’s fit and Luis Diaz will probably get picked before him. That probably shows you that it hasn’t gone as well as he would’ve liked and Liverpool would’ve liked, but he has got a brilliant record coming from the bench.

“I think since he joined the club, he’s got more goals and assists than anybody in the Premier League from the bench, so maybe that’s his role from now until the end of the season. That can help Liverpool get over the line.”

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Is Carragher right about ‘supersub’ suggestion?

With Diogo Jota unfortunately set to miss another few weeks of action from yet another injury setback, Liverpool will be counting on Nunez to produce the goods in their upcoming fixtures.

It remains to be seen whether he’s done enough to dislodge Diaz as our starting centre-forward following the Uruguayan’s late salvo against Brentford, but it isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement from Arne Slot that he’s preferred a natural winger in the number 9 role over the player on whom big money was spent to lead the line.

The 25-year-old has now scored three stoppage time winners for the Reds in the Premier League – against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest last season and the Bees at the weekend – and in each of those games, he was summoned from the substitutes’ bench.

It certainly lends weight to Carragher’s suggestion that Nunez is most effective when brought on to make an impact, although the ex-Benfica marksman will be eager to avoid any ‘supersub’ labels.

If the Uruguay international can deliver a few more clutch moments for the rest of the campaign, he’d surely make it too difficult for Liverpool to even consider selling him in the summer. Jota’s absence over the next few weeks should offer him a chance to make a serious statement of intent to Slot.