Jurgen Klopp hopes people "stay calm" over Darwin Nunez's mixed start at Liverpool and pointed to former player Robert Lewandowski as a reason to remain confident.
Nunez joined Liverpool in June for a fee that could eventually reach a club-record £85million, but the Uruguay international has endured an inconsistent opening to his career with the Reds.
Liverpool picked up a third consecutive league win at Aston Villa on Monday, though Nunez failed to convert any of his four big chances despite registering 1.15 xG (expected goals).
The striker came in for criticism after the game for his finishing, but Klopp urged people to remain behind the 23-year-old, and cited Lewandowski's poor start at Borussia Dortmund as an example of how players can improve.
After signing for Klopp's Dortmund side from Lech Poznan before the 2010-11 campaign, Lewandowski netted just eight times in 38 Bundesliga matches.
However, he went on to register 102 goals in 184 games under Klopp, helping them to two Bundesliga titles and the 2012-13 Champions League final before leaving for Bayern Munich in 2014.
Klopp believes Liverpool fans should keep the faith in Nunez, in the hopes that he will flourish as Lewandowski did.
"If you could just rewind to that time, [I was] sitting in press conferences and journalists really, when I started playing Lewandowski, they asked me 'why is [Lucas] Barrios not playing?'," Klopp told reporters.
"Lucas Barrios had scored 16 goals that season and was the number nine in our team, so Lewy started playing in different positions to adapt to different things, didn't like it too much.
"The Polish journalists were not too friendly with me because he didn't play at nine, he played in a 4-2-3-1 as a 10, I thought at the time it made absolute sense to develop his game… there's a lot of similarities [with Nunez] to be honest.
"Lewy would tell the same story, we had shooting sessions where he didn't finish off one.
"We had bets all the time for 10 euros, if you score more than 10 times I pay you, if you don't you pay me, my pocket was full of money.
"It's all about staying calm, when you see the potential, stay calm. It's so difficult in the world we are living in.
"I think we all agree that the potential [of Nunez] is so obvious.
"It's not only with Lewy I had this but he is an obvious comparison, I understand that. It's just about staying calm, and I am super calm, and the team is as well by the way."
While Klopp conceded Nunez should have done better with one chance in particular against Villa, he also feels the media scrutiny has been over the top.
"Is everything right? No," he said. "I think it's clear with the big chance in the second half, if he can run a little bit at an angle then he has a free choice.
"But it's all coming. So you do it like this, the next time you do it like that.
"It's so difficult in the world we are living in. I don't want to make it personal now but because of you [the media] asking and making a big fuss of everything, then of course the supporters and social media [get carried away].
"All these kind of things, the more you can shut off that, the better it is."
'I know my worth and I will show it' – Antony vows to silence Man Utd critics
Manchester United winger Antony has pledged to silence his critics after ending his long wait for a Premier League goal on Saturday, saying: "I know my worth and I will show it."
Antony has struggled since swapping Ajax for Old Trafford in an £86million ($108m) deal last year, only managing five goals and three assists in 52 Premier League appearances.
The Brazilian failed to net in his first 26 league games this season before ending his goal drought against Burnley on Saturday, though Zeki Amdouni's late penalty earned the Clarets a 1-1 draw.
Antony was also roundly criticised for taunting Coventry City's players in the aftermath of United's FA Cup semi-final win over the Sky Blues earlier this month, with the Red Devils inching through on penalties after surrendering a 3-0 lead in a 3-3 draw.
Having struggled to live up to expectations since arriving in England, he was asked by The Athletic whether his price tag had put him under additional pressure, but he says that is not the case.
"It doesn't really impact me because I know my worth," Antony said. "The money is the money and obviously everyone speaks about it, but no one would if the performances were at the top.
"It's just a way of working harder, knowing I can get better, I know my worth and I will show it. The critics are going to exist, and they make me want to work harder and prove it to myself first.
"I'm going to keep working, giving everything for the group because it's most important to have a good mentality and to be focused."
Saturday's draw officially ended United's hopes of a top-four finish, heightening speculation regarding the future of manager Erik ten Hag.
While Antony accepts United have not been good enough this season, he is hopeful they can end the campaign on a high with another FA Cup final against Manchester City to come.
"It's been a very tough year for me and the team, the results are not ones we expected," Antony added.
"I am someone who takes criticism very well and I want to work on it, and I think we all have to focus on finishing the season the best we can.
"We still have five games and we have to think game by game, get better and go into the final in the best way possible to win it."
Bayer Leverkusen's Puerta sets sights on Copa America
Gustavo Puerta's first season with Bayer Leverkusen could not have gone any better and the 20-year-old midfielder hopes his experience with the undefeated German side will earn him a place in Colombia's Copa America squad this summer.
Puerta has made eight appearances this season for Bundesliga champions Leverkusen, who are unbeaten in 46 matches across all competitions under Xabi Alonso.
Leverkusen will play Roma in the Europa League semi-finals and are also through to the DFB-Pokal final.
"This year has been wonderful for me and for my career, I hope to keep winning titles and get minutes at the end of the tournament," Puerta, who has made five Bundesliga appearances, told Reuters.
Puerta enjoyed success with Colombia's under-20 side and has received his first call-up for the national team's friendlies against Spain and Romania in March.
He hopes to make an impression on coach Nestor Lorenzo with the Copa America on the horizon. The tournament takes place in the United States across June and July.
"Being in this team with an undefeated run is very important to be considered for the national team if the coach (Lorenzo) thinks I can contribute," he added.
"We haven't talked much about it, but he told me that he's keeping an eye on me, that he wants to see me play. I hope to get minutes in the end because it is a privilege to be in the national team, I want to wait for the call-up."
The Colombian added that playing for one of the top 10 teams in the world has not only improved his game but also given him confidence in his abilities.
"It helps you mature, spending time with great world-class players on a daily basis and training with them is important, they are very experienced and that makes a difference for someone as young as me," he added.
Puerta said he felt supported by the club and that he would be able to reach his full potential under Alonso.
"It was historic, very nice, very crazy to have won my first title in one of the top five leagues in Europe," he added.
Recruitment crucial if Slot gets Liverpool job, warns Brands
Arne Slot must only settle for the best in the transfer market if he succeeds Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager at the end of the season.
That is the view of PSV president Marcel Brands, who has warned Slot against taking several Eredivisie players with him in comments which might be interpreted as a dig at Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
Liverpool are reportedly close to reaching an agreement with Feyenoord to appoint Slot, who led the Rotterdam giants to just their second league title this century in 2022-23.
Should Slot get the job, he will be taking over at what could be a time of great upheaval at Anfield.
Star forward Mohamed Salah could follow Klopp through the exit door as he enters the final 12 months of his contract, with renewed interest from the Saudi Pro League likely.
The Egyptian was involved in a public spat with Klopp during Saturday's 2-2 draw with West Ham and has only scored three Premier League goals since going to the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
Asked how Slot should approach taking over during a time of transition, Brands told Goedemorgen Eredivisie: "Don't focus blindly on signing five Dutch players.
"He has to look very carefully at what he needs with his style of football, and only settle for top players."
Brands' comments come as Slot's fellow Dutchman Ten Hag continues to attract fierce criticism amid an underwhelming second campaign at Old Trafford, with Eredivisie recruits Antony, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez having limited impacts this term.
Brands has warned Slot the pressure awaiting him at Anfield will match that Ten Hag has faced at United, saying: "Slot will be working at one of the biggest clubs in England.
"You have to realise that. Liverpool have supporters from all over the world, and the pressure is always there.
"Just like Manchester United, they really are the biggest clubs in England, but it is a fantastic challenge."
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