“I think he will be a fan Favourite” – Former Liverpool player Stewart Downing believes Darwin Nunez can replicate legends Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah
Darwin Nunez signs for Liverpool
According to Stewart Downing, Darwin Nunez can win over Liverpool fans like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane by hitting the ground running. Nunez joined Liverpool from Benfica on June 14, becoming the club’s record signing.
The Reds agreed to pay an initial fee of £64 million for the Uruguayan striker, which will quickly rise to £75 million based on appearances, with Benfica potentially receiving an additional £10 million based on trophy success, meaning he will surpass Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool’s most expensive signing.
That price tag comes with some pressure, especially after Sadio Mane’s £35 million move to Bayern Munich, but Nunez has the track record to handle it. For Benfica, the 23-year-old scored 48 goals in 85 appearances across all competitions.
Liverpool will fly to Bangkok on Saturday for the first leg of their pre-season tour and will play a friendly against Manchester United on Tuesday. That match could provide Nunez with an opportunity to win over Liverpool fans, and former Reds winger Downing believes first impressions are crucial for the newcomer.
“I think he will be a fans’ favourite, just the way he plays, 100 percent the fans will love that and it will be nice if he gets a couple of goals early on, especially at Anfield to get his confidence up,” Downing told. “That’s what happened with Salah and Mane, they got off to good starts and their careers took off and you hope he does well. He looks like a fantastic player from what I have seen.”
Stewart Downing compares Darwin Nunez with former Liverpool teammate Luis Suarez
Darwin Nunez has already expressed his excitement about playing alongside ‘monsters’ Liverpool upfront next season. He is familiar with Liverpool even before he arrived, having played and scored in both legs of Benfica’s Champions League quarter-final clashes with Klopp’s side in April.
He will now look to emulate his compatriot, Luis Suarez, who scored 82 goals and assisted 46 times in 133 games for the club. “He has that South America style about him,” Downing added. “He’s a bit like a Suarez type of player and with the crosses coming in from both sides he is going to thrive on that and the service he is going to get.“
“I just see him fitting in really well and Jurgen Klopp very rarely buys players that don’t fit into the way he wants to play. I just think he will be a great signing and he is a lot different to Mane. But you need different ways of playing and different dimensions.”
Sujeeth Shetty
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