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SINGAPORE -- Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has defended club-record signing Darwin Nunez after he received criticism online for his miss in the 4-0 preseason defeat against Manchester United. For summer signing Nunez, it was an unofficial debut to forget, as he spurned a gilt-edged opportunity to find the back of the net toward the end of the contest, blazing wildly over with plenty of the goal to aim for after a Mohamed Salah effort hit the post. - Klopp speaks to ESPN about legacy, staying on top, Salah and more
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- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access It did not take long for footage of Nunez's miss to make it to social media, but as Liverpool prepare for their second outing of the preseason -- against Crystal Palace at Singapore's National Stadium on Friday -- manager Klopp was quick to brush aside the jibes aimed at his new £85 million man. "I'm not worried at all," Klopp said, when asked by ESPN if there was potentially a need to preach caution with a player coming with such lofty expectations. "The general judgement [on Nunez] is absolutely nil interest [to us]. It will be like this, and we all know it. "It's kind of a game or a joke for some people to pick out some situations where a player's not doing well. That's only a game from [fans of] other clubs, which is normal. "Our fans probably do [the same] with signings of Manchester United. We cannot take this seriously." Klopp, who recently signed a four-year contract extension at Anfield, did however call on the club's supporters to get behind the Uruguay striker and not be overly focused on his transfer fee. "The only real important thing is how I judge the situation for the player and I couldn't be more calm -- completely convinced about his potential," Klopp added. "And actually, what our people -- all Liverpool supporters in the whole world -- should know is that new players need time and get time. "We should be the first ones to delete the fee we paid [from our thinking]. Just delete it -- it's not important. "It's like this with strikers. He missed a chance and then there are some nervous people going, 'oh my god, he missed a chance' -- I can promise you it will not be the last." And as Liverpool held an open training session at the National Stadium on Thursday evening, Klopp's words proved prophetic, as Nunez had an eerily similar miss to the one against United to the initial dismay of the adoring fans in attendance -- only to bounce back almost immediately after with an unerring first-time finish more characteristic of the player that racked up 26 goals in 28 Primeira Liga appearances for Benfica last season. It is not just this same player -- but one who is even more formidable -- that Klopp is now looking to unleash on the Premier League sooner rather than later. "Now we do absolutely everything to not only see the things we saw from him at Benfica -- from there, we go [further]," Klopp said. "Again, it is my responsibility to help Darwin fulfil his full potential and I'm completely calm. "I think, with half a football brain, you don't doubt the potential of Darwin Nunez."
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