Kenny Dalglish has claimed that Liverpool duo Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz can be ‘inspirations’ for Liverpool’s new signing, Darwin Nunez, as he wrote in his SP column.
The Liverpool legend added that Darwin Nunez is an ‘excellent’ addition to the squad following the departure of club legend, Sadio Mane, who joined Bayern Munich this summer.
After warming up during his first pre-season matches, the 23-year-old is now starting to get his engine and showing glimpses at what he can achieve when at full throttle ahead of the new Premier League season.
That was proved on Saturday when the Reds beat Manchester City in the Community Sheild – Nunez came off the bench to produce an outstanding performance and score a stoppage-time goal.
It was a perfect answer from the South American star to those who mocked him during his early weeks at Anfield, as club legend Dalglish shared his thoughts on the player.
“Liverpool added Darwin Nunez from Benfica. Having sold Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich, Darwin is an excellent option,” said Dalglish.
“I watched him play against us for Benfica in the Champions League quarter-final tie at Anfield last season. He looked extremely accomplished at centre-forward, but equally as good when he played out on the left-hand side. It was as if he was having an audition for Liverpool that night!
“He has started pre-season very well, and has scored four goals. But we can’t expect that from him every time he pulls on his boots. Darwin is only 22, and everyone needs to be mindful of that. Certainly, however, his start this summer will do him no harm.
“He only has to look at Diaz and Jota for inspiration for the way they hit the ground running when they moved to Anfield.”
JOTA AND DIAZ INSPIRATIONS FOR NUNEZ
There have been some players that have taken their time when thrown into the deep end by Jurgen Klopp, but not the above two.
When Jota moved from Wolves, for quite a lot of fans, it did come out of the blue, but he scored on debut against Arsenal and then he couldn’t stop hitting the back of the net.
Even last season, he scored 15 Premier League goals, which is pretty impressive for a player standing alongside Mo Salah and Mane, at the time, not forgetting that the second half of the season didn’t go as planned for him.
Diaz is a much fresher example for Nunez because the all-action winger is heading into his first full season on Merseyside after an eye-catching first six months in Liverpool colours.
Even when Diaz isn’t scoring or assisting, he is doing something that is catching the eye of fans and Nunez certainly has the ability to produce those 8/10 performances without scoring, which will be a benefit for the club.
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