Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has rubbished claims of Darwin Nunez being a busted flush.
The 100m signing battled for consistency in his first season in England.
But Nicol told ESPN FC: "You can look at it two ways.
"For 80m. you want the finished article. But, at the same time, have a look around the Premier League and the money people are spending on players that maybe don't even have that potential.
"The guy has had one season. Straight away, right off the bat, you just said, 'is he a bust already?' This guy has never been given a chance by anybody, including you [ESPN presenter].
Hold on a second, let's get this right. When he was signed, did anybody at Liverpool tell us that 'this guy is the present? This guy is going to start now'."
He also said: "The transfer fee doesn't always tell you that. The guy was brought in as the future, yet after four months, everybody was on his back. Four months! And they were told that the guy is the future.
"He has had one season. Could it have been better? Probably. He certainly showed potential. He certainly shows what he is capable of and he has more in his locker.
"Yet, we haven't kicked the season off and you are asking me if he is a bust? I mean, come on! Seriously, he has no chance! Unless he scores a hat-trick every game, then in your eyes he is a bust already!"