It’s set to be a fascinating season at Liverpool as they prepare for the Arne Slot era.
With the old campaign only just at an end, there’s still plenty of time before the new year gets underway.
But although Slot isn’t even through the door yet, there’s already analysis over who could benefit from his arrival at Anfield, and who could perhaps be on the chopping block.
As FSG have put in place a structure above him, it remains to be seen exactly how much influence the new head coach will have over incomings and outgoings.
Performances on the pitch will be Slot’s domain, though. And former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman has suggested that if one player does not improve next season, he may not be long for it.
Steve McManaman calls for Darwin Nunez improvement
As we head into the summer, transfer talk is obviously dominating the thinking of near-enough every football fan.
For Liverpool supporters, this is currently as much about who may not be in the first-team squad under Slot, as who will be brought into it.
One player who has rumoured to be potentially up for sale is Darwin Nunez. After a difficult end to the season, it has been suggested that Liverpool are thinking about cutting their losses and selling the misfiring striker.
However, speaking to TNT Sports, McManaman has claimed that he doesn’t see Nunez being sold this summer. Instead, the 52-year-old claims that the Uruguayan simply has to hit the AXA Training Centre and improve upon his finishing.
“I see him staying and working hard on his game and getting better,” says McManaman. “He still can’t speak English and he needs to learn English very quickly and brush up on it.
“He’s still only a young boy and a shy boy and I think people have to take that into consideration. Yes of course, he has to brush up on his finishing, he has to work hard, get on the training ground and score scruffy goals.
“Whether he has to speak to [Luis] Suarez, whether he has to speak to somebody else, but he has to improve in front of goal.”
Can Darwin Nunez improve his finishing?
There were some really good signs this season that Nunez had really turned a corner. For around two thirds of the campaign the 24-year-old was really good.
He was still missing chances a little too regularly, but Nunez was providing plenty in his all-round game. There were steps in the right direction.
However, the final part of the term just didn’t go to plan. Darwin only scored once in his final 13 matches and cost Liverpool with some big misses.
By now, there are unfortunately quite a few signs that Nunez will never be the finisher the Reds need him to be. If Slot doesn’t see improvement in the early parts of the new season, many will give up hope entirely.
And yet, there still remains a feeling that Nunez does have it in him. If he can just tweak that last part of his game the former Benfica man could become unplayable. Let’s hope Darwin can find it within himself. All is not lost just yet.