Liverpool boss Klopp says in-form Nunez still not at his peak

(Reuters) - Liverpool's Darwin Nunez has "quality coming out of his ears" but still has room for improvement, manager Juergen Klopp said after the Uruguayan forward scored a brace in Thursday's 5-1 Europa League win over Sparta Prague.

Nunez took time to settle in England but has scored eight goals and set up four more in 12 games for Liverpool in 2024.

"Nunez had to adapt, that's done and (he is) settled in the middle of the team. He has quality coming out of his ears, to be honest," Klopp told reporters after the first leg of the last-16 tie on Thursday.

"Is he already at his absolute peak in general? Not now for us, and can he develop? Yes. Is he a threat all the time? Yes."

The German also provided an update on defender Ibrahima Konate, who hobbled off in the 51st minute.

"Ibou said to me when he passed me in that moment, 'I thought if I do another sprint then it could be bad'. So, he said he should be fine, but we don't know," Klopp said.

The second leg will be played at Anfield on March 14.

Before that, Liverpool host Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.