Virgil van Dijk warns Darwin Nunez after Liverpool striker cried over goal

Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez has received advice from his captain Virgil van Dijk to stay “calm” after the Uruguayan forward finally found the back of the net to end a 14-game goal drought.

Nunez celebrated his first goal for Liverpool since April 4 with an impressive effort against Bournemouth, and he’s now setting his sights on keeping his starting spot in the upcoming Carabao Cup clash with West Ham.

The striker, who was visibly emotional after scoring in the match against the Cherries, has had a challenging period which saw him lose his starting spot, clash with fans, and wipe his Instagram clean of any Liverpool content in recent months.

However, Van Dijk has noted that Nunez is in a much better state now, crediting head coach Arne Slot for his efforts to extract peak performances from the forward.

“Any striker, on the bench, or who has a lack of confidence, works their socks off to be successful,” the Dutch skipper said.

“He got a chance to be the starting striker against Bournemouth and he worked very hard for that goal.

“He scored a very good goal, but he worked hard defensively when we didn’t have the ball and those are the things we need from the whole team, whether you start or come in.

“For him, coming into a club like Liverpool with the price tag, there’s always going to be pressure to produce week in, week out and he’s trying to do that, but it’s not always that easy.

“Now is the time for him to stay calm and I think, in my opinion, he’s been doing that much better. The manager is busy with him a lot, as are we players. We just have to keep him close to us and keep going.

“He started, but he might not start the next game and we want him to be consistent and keep doing it and doing it when he comes on and when he starts.

“Consistency is the key. I think he shouldn’t get carried away – and he won’t. Now is the time for him to recover and focus on the next opportunity he gets. That’s football.

“We’ll help him and the manager will help him and the club and fans as well.

“That’s the main thing, don’t get dragged into the positivity and then the low of the negativity or you’ll be dizzy at a certain point.”

Van Dijk also believes that Nunez’s tireless work rate has won over the hearts of the Anfield faithful.

“The fans love him,” he said. “They love him for his work-rate, his directness and what he brings to the table.”

“He got his reward for the hard work he did with a good goal, but we want him to be consistent and keep doing it. I’m confident he will be fine.”