Darwin Nunez trains with Liverpool for the first time
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has trained with his new teammates for the first time since joining the club in a €100m (£85m) transfer from Benfica last month.
Nunez finished the 2021/22 season, during which he scored 34 goals in all competitions for Benfica, by representing Uruguay on international duty.
But, having been afforded some time off for a holiday, he has since reported for duty with Liverpool and flew with the squad to Thailand for the first leg of an east Asian summer tour.
The Reds trained on Sunday evening after touching down and Nunez was able to be involved. They will face Manchester United in Bangkok on Tuesday, which could be the striker’s unofficial debut, before moving on to Singapore for a match against Crystal Palace on Friday.
The first session as a Red for @Darwinn99 😍#LFCPreSeason pic.twitter.com/x5VVPrRNJ1
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 10, 2022
Although Mohamed Salah recently signed a new long-term contract to continue at Anfield until at least 2025, Liverpool’s attacking unit has undergone major changes in recent months.
In addition to the 2020 arrival of Diogo Jota, the Reds brought in Luis Diaz from Porto in January and sold Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich earlier this summer. Veteran number nine Roberto Firmino also looks likely to have even more of a back-up role next season.
Nunez’s price tag will immediately put pressure on the Uruguayan, but fellow countryman Diego Forlan has backed the 22-year-old to both score goals straight off the bat and also develop his all-round game longer-term under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp.
“I believe that one of the things he can bring is, without a doubt, goals, Forlan recently told 90min ES. “Then, as time goes on, he’ll keep growing on the technical aspect. He will get to know his abilities better and he will develop them more and more too, while also gaining experience.
“He’s going to a team with an amazing manager that knows football very well…how to attack the space, how to use his players and how to get the best out of them.”
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!