Ian Wright insists he would “never take Darwin Nunez off,” with the ex-Arsenal striker detailing the advice he would give the Liverpool centre-forward.
As he prepares to leave his role on Match of the Day at the end of the season, Wright is being seen more regularly on other platforms.
That included a feature on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football ahead of Chelsea vs. Newcastle, giving an opportunity for him to discuss Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Man City.
Having outed himself as a “closet Liverpool fan” following the news of Jurgen Klopp‘s resignation, it was no surprise that he holds an admiration for Nunez.
“Look what he can do” ?
Ian Wright says Darwin Nunez should never be taken off at Anfield ? pic.twitter.com/qnHlBzfxgA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 11, 2024
Analysing Nunez’s performance against Man City, in which he explained that you could “watch him lose interest” when his runs weren’t immediately met with a pass, Wright offered advice to the Uruguayan.
“I think that he makes runs, he does things when he doesn’t get the ball and he gets a little bit dispirited by it,” the 60-year-old said.
Wright, who scored 113 goals in 213 games in the Premier League and is one of few pundits in England who seems consistent in his opinions, added: “I’d never take him off, especially at Anfield.
“I would just tighten him up in those situations, I’d let him watch those videos and say ‘look at this, look what he can do’.
“[I’d want him to] speak to Harvey Elliott and say ‘listen Harvey, when you get that ball, you don’t even need to look; if you get that ball in that situation I was tight, put it over there’.
“I used to say that to all the players: don’t even look. If it’s in there, I’m going to go; you’ll just hear me. Just put it in there.
“So when it does that, people know – especially at the start of games – people know ‘jeez, he’s going to be going down there all day’.
“So what happens is you can feint there, and then you can get it to feet and you can start playing it with people.”
Nunez was replaced by Cody Gakpo in the 76th minute vs. City, in a move that didn’t really work out.
