Is Darwin Nunez capable of stepping up for Dream Team gaffers while Mohamed Salah is at AFCON?

HOW do you solve a riddle like Darwin Nunez (£4.1m)?

Liverpool’s No9 is one of the most unique players in world of football today.

A whirlwind of chaos, he provides plenty of threat and must be a nightmare to defend against but he also misses more than his fair share of chances.

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Dream TeamAn enigma[/caption]

Nunez can look like a world-beater one minute and a lost cause the next.

Equal parts frustrating and compelling, he’s a difficult player for Dream Team managers to properly gauge.

Take his most recent outing as a prime example.

Nunez actually banked ten points against Newcastle on New Year’s Day, an impressive haul on paper, but those who watched the game will know he should have plundered so many more.

The Reds amassed a whopping 7.53 expected goals (xG) and while Mohamed Salah’s (£6.5m) initial penalty miss was a factor in the team’s under-performance, Nunez has to take the bulk of the blame.

The Uruguay international registered FIVE shots on target and really should have converted at least one of his chances, though Martin Dubravka (£2m) deserves credit for his many saves.

Nunez assisted Liverpool’s first goal and, as already mentioned, bagged ten points from just over an hour’s action but his performance would have concerned some of his backers.

AFPWhen he’s good, he’s great, but…[/caption]

Salah won’t be available to Jurgen Klopp until Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign comes to an end.

This is a significant development in the Dream Team season as, at the time of writing, the 31-year-old is the game’s top scorer (and only double centurion) with 212 points to his name.

Given Liverpool are top of the Premier League table, many Dream Team managers will be keen to replace Salah with one of his team-mates.

The question is: can Nunez step up in the coming weeks?

The ex-Benfica striker’s numbers are impressive enough, he’s registered eight goals and 11 assists in all competitions.

That breaks down to a goal involvement every 81.2 minutes!

Nunez has amassed 144 points at an average of 5.1 per appearance – that jumps to 6.3 when looking at his three most recent outings.

He ticks a lot of boxes but every Dream Team gaffer knows that having Nunez in their XI also means a certain degree of frustration.

But perhaps he’s worth it? A quick look at the schedule would suggest so.

AFPSalah’s absence is a huge factor in Dream Team this month[/caption]

Right now, most Premier League clubs have three fixtures left to fulfil in January (although most are expected to progress in the FA Cup) but Liverpool, Chelsea and Fulham have at least five games before the end of the month because of the two-legged Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Klopp’s side will play the Cottagers in Gameweek 19 and Gameweek 20 alongside other fixtures against Arsenal and Bournemouth.

The fact that Liverpool will be particularly busy during Salah’s absence surely makes Nunez a tempting option?

Of course, it’s not unthinkable that Luis Diaz (£3.3m), Diogo Jota (£3.9m) and Cody Gakpo (£3.6m) could be named as the front three – Harvey Elliott (£2.7m) may even get some minutes from the right flank.

That being said, playing time shouldn’t be a problem for Nunez in the coming weeks – only Salah has contributed more goal involvements among Liverpool’s squad this season.