Jurgen Klopp sends "really not smart" warning after Darwin Nunez backlash

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has opened up on the fact social media criticism appeared to dent the confidence of new recruit and club-record signing Darwin Nunez.

The 22-year-old Uruguayan international was purchased earlier this summer from Benfica for a fee of £85million plus add-ons. Nunez first announced himself to the Liverpool faithful while he was still on the books of the Portuguese giants last season.

During a two-legged Champions League quarter-final knockout tie against the Reds, Nunez notched goals in both the home and away ties - catching the eye of Klopp and co. in the process. Just months later he'd become a Liverpool player, but it has not been the easiest of starts.

Competitive action hasn't even begun yet, but when arriving as the new star striker for a club that boasts the kind of stature as Liverpool - the pressure is on from the very beginning. Nunez has now played in three pre-season fixtures for the Reds, with the first two hardly going to plan.

His first, against the club's most fierce and long-term rivals Manchester United, saw Nunez guilty of spurning a glorious opportunity from no more than six yards out with the goal gaping - cue a social media pile-on that saw the 22-year-old become the butt of rival fans' jokes.

Reflecting on the impact it had on the striker, Klopp actually appeared to call for Nunez to become a bit wiser and not look on platforms that are likely to only dent his confidence further.

"We always think that if you pay a lot of money then the players feel no pressure or whatever," said the Reds boss. "They are all completely normal human beings and (when) the first touch is not perfect then all of a sudden...

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"This generation of players read social media, which is really not smart, but they do. All of a sudden you get in a rush and these kinds of things. That's (scoring) the best way obviously to stop all these discussions. He's a different striker to what we have or what we had, but he's a really good one."

Klopp's assessment of the situation came just after Nunez silenced his doubters with a stunning four-goal haul over Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.

The former Primeira Liga golden boot winner took home another match-ball, with three of his four being scored inside a 20-minute period before he added a fourth in second-half stoppage time.

It can't come as much of a surprise to Nunez that such a high-profile, expensive addition was bound to generate headlines either way - though Liverpool will be delighted that his latest showing prompted praise rather than criticism.