Gary Neville: Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez can become 'WORLD CLASS'

Gary Neville has insisted Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has the talent to become 'world class'.

The £85million summer signing from Benfica has scored nine goals in 20 appearances in all competitions, but has been criticised by pundits and fans for missing lots of chances, which he did in their 2-1 win against Leicester on Friday.

But Neville, speaking after Jurgen Klopp's side edged past the Foxes at Anfield, told Sky Sports that he backs Nunez, 23, to keep improving and eventually mark himself as one of the best strikers in the world.

He said: 'When he cut across (Wout) Faes, that was devastating. It's a fine line: he's 'a handful' if he doesn't score the goals he needs to score, if he scores the goals, he's 'world class'. I've got a feeling he could end up being that world-class striker, in a year or two.

'Physically he'll mature, he'll become even more powerful... and then it will start to happen for him in front of goal. He'll start scoring, and he'll start scoring. Particularly if Liverpool keep adding players and get some of their players back.

'I'm 70 per cent that he's going to go on to become a top striker in this league and become one of the very best in the world.'

Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher echoed his thoughts, saying he wishes Nunez would be more clinical but insisting there are enough positive signs for Reds fans to get excited about the Uruguayan.

He added: 'When you say you're happy with those perfomances, as I have done in the last couple of games because you think 'if he could score, imagine how good that performance would be'.

'He's causing huge problems for the opposition, involved in goals rather than scoring them, but the next thing is he's got to get the goals. He'll be disappointed tonight he hasn't got himself on the scoresheet. At the moment he's a handful but to make that next step, to be a world-class striker he's got to get more of the goals.

'Liverpool didn't even play well tonight and he still had that many chances and was involved in a goal - but you look at the two or three chances and think 'he's got to put one of them away'... There's enough there for Liverpool to be excited. Of course, you want to be finishing more opportunities than he is but I think that will come.'

Brendan Rodgers' Leicester took the lead inside five minutes via Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's breakaway goal, but a pair of own goals from defender Wout Faes - the second after a chip from Nunez hit the post - saw Klopp's men triumph.