Darwin Nunez – Almeria’s precocious striking project

Many would be concerned with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani winding down their careers and being in their twilight years, but Uruguay have been cultivating high-level attacking prospects. Strikers, Federico Vinas and Darwin Nunez have both shone in Mexico and the Spanish Second Division respectively while Sebastian Rodriguez and Federico Pellestri are playing week-in and week-out for Nacional and Penarol, respectively. Nunez has a distinguished career at youth level while he has already opened his account for the Uruguayan National Team before an impressive first season with Almeria. The Spanish Second Division side chose to purchase him from Penarol for €8.5 million as they will certainly make a profit on that investment.

Arsene Wenger once said that he believed that the last vestiges of the old-fashioned striker lied in South America as the continent tends to produce ample natural goal scorers. At 21 and in his first season in Europe, Nunez, who came through as a burgeoning talent at Penarol, appears to be one of the up and coming goal scorers as he is well built being tall and physically domineering. However, playing with his back to goal is not one of his strongest suits as he prefers to face the opposition goal in carving out shots for himself or when linking up with teammates. He is a strong dribbler and has a turn of pace to drive past players into spaces as he can receive possession in between the lines on the half-turn or facing his own goal to drive forward and switch the ball to the opposite flank before making a run into the box.

Nunez could at times be positioned in the wide areas to receive the ball on the edge of the box, drive past his man to cut inside and create space to curl a shot on goal. His quick feet allow him to manoeuvre to create space in the opposition box to carve out shooting opportunities and create his own opportunities. His movement in the box is also clever and precise as he loves to make runs to the near post or can hold his runs for cut backs to the top of the box to have higher quality opportunities. He also tends to be positioned in the right areas to be on the end of tap-ins as he can grow and thrive as a one-touch finisher moving into the box to adjust his body to redirect deliveries past the opposition goalkeeper.

However, the 21-year-old is most threatening when he is charging in behind opposition defences as he has the strength to hold off opposition defenders and the pace to leave them in his trail when running in behind as he will always create passages to the opposition goal. His goal at home to Rayo Vallecano was proof of this as he controlled a clearance in the wide left-channel with an opposition defender ahead of him, he then stood his man up to then burst to the by-line before cutting back to his right foot when he was in the box to leave his man on his back-side before smashing a shot into the roof of the net. He can also work sequences where he receives high long balls to lay-off before running in behind to receive a through ball and have shots on goal.

His ability in behind also makes him a threat in a counter-attacking side as an outball as away to Ponferrdina last season, he received another pass on the counter to drive forward and stand his marker up before threading a pass to a teammate making a run into the centre who had his shot saved. He has the physicality, directness and pace to provide a lone attacking presence when his side are in a defensive block or when his side are defending corners so he can receive clearances, control them to then run at a depleted opposition defence and create shooting opportunities for himself or for a teammate. He has also played as a lone striker this season as well as in a two-striker system as he is very willing to participate defensively while his combination play has grown as the season has progressed.

At the beginning of the season, his first touch was erratic, he would receive possession and it would bobble away from his feet and into the grasp of the opposition. However, if his teammates work possession to his stronger right foot while he is facing the opposition goal, he can control the possession with the outside of his right boot to weave past markers and play passes to teammates. He has also improved in the timing and movements of approach-play combinations in the final third as he can lay-off possession or hold the ball and make passes into runners moving off the ball. He can also start attacks from the deeper areas when he regains possession and dribbles past the opposition to link-up with teammates and drive the ball forward from the deeper areas.

Despite being gifted with height and stature, Nunez is appalling in aerial duels for a player of his size as he wins less duels than attackers possessing the same physical gifts. Despite scoring 16 goals this season, most with his right foot and some with his left, he has only scored one goal with his head as he seems to be leaving a whole facet and dimension of his game on the table. If he could score more goals with his head as well as being gifted with his feet then his goal scoring prowess would increase especially at a higher level as he has been linked with teams in the English Premier League and Ligue 1. It would also help him when facing long balls against defenders as he usually loses those aerial duels but if he managed to bring the ball down, it would help his team move up the pitch at a much quicker rate. He will need to work on the aerial side of his game as well as his combination play to truly grow into the all-round striker that could be lethal at the highest level.

Defensively, his speed and physical tools allow him to be particularly effective at pressing and counter-pressing the ball, using his long-legs to regain blocks or make tackles and interceptions in the higher areas of the pitch. In counter-pressing situations, he can attack an opposition player’s blind-side to shepherd them off the ball and regain possession for his side to turn and transition into a breaking situation. He is energetic and can find himself positioned in the wide areas in the defensive phase of the game to win tackles and force the opposition to move the ball out wide or back-pass as he tends to give a lot of himself to the defensive side of the game.

Nunez was the 75th Uruguayan player to make his debut under the watchful eye of Oscar Tabarez who has spent his 13 years and over 200 games in charge of the Uruguayan National Team steadying what was a wayward ship, reforming their youth development at a football talent and personal level. Tabarez also sought to produce youngsters with the speed of mind and fleet of foot to adapt to the modern game as Nunez was a reliable goal scorer at youth level and opened his account against Peru last year. He is the fifth top scorer in his first season in the Segunda Division as he has piqued the interest of many clubs in Europe.

Brighton and Hove Albion as well as Sheffield United are reported to have shown an interest in him as a move becomes more likely after Almeria failed to gain promotion to La Liga through the playoffs. Tabarez has always kept tabs on the youngster, congratulating him on his first goal for Uruguay as well as encouraging him to continue his improvement before moving to Almeria. A move to a higher level allows Nunez to stake a claim for the Uruguayan side in the Copa America next year as playing at a higher level with an aging Suarez and Cavani and ample competition for the National Team striking spots coming from South America, Central America and abroad. Nunez will certainly be a bargain with immense resale value for most teams in what should be a very integral and complex transfer market.