Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes Benfica striker Darwin Nunez is a striker tailor made for Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League giants, speaking to talkSPORT (6 June, 12pm)....CONTINUE READING
For much of the Klopp era, Liverpool have played with a ‘false nine’ rather than a classic, penalty-box poacher. A Roberto Firmino, a Diogo Jota, and latterly Sadio Mane too.
Nunez, then, would give the men from Merseyside a completely different dimension in the final third. Another string to Europe’s most well-stocked bow. A fearsome thought indeed.
An old-school throwback of a number nine, Uruguay international Nunez scored 34 times in 41 games during 2021/22.
Two of those goals came during the Champions League quarter-final clash with Liverpool, a tie in which Nunez ran Virgil van Dijk and co ragged with his electrifying movement and inventive, intuitive finishing skills.
“There are some different types of strikers that we face that are doing very, very well,” says Van Dijk.
Now, it takes something rather special to make the masterful Van Dijk look unflustered and, clearly, Nunez left a lasting impression on the totemic defender.
“(Erling) Haaland and also Darwin; (They are) very similar. Very direct, quick, tall, strong and it’s quite difficult to play against them.”
Will Liverpool sign Benfica striker Darwin Nunez?
With The Independent reporting that Nunez would prefer to join Liverpool than the bewildering mess that used to be Manchester United, Van Dijk’s training sessions could be about to get a damn sight tougher.
“I like him,” says Murphy.
“I’ve watched him and one thing I really liked about him is that he’s dynamic. He’s a very Klopp-type (player). High energy, with and without the ball, he doesn’t mind a press. I saw him run back a couple of times and get sliding tackles. The fans love that.
“When he’s not got the ball, he doesn’t mind running in behind. He’s quite physical.”
Klopp, of course, wants more from his centre-forwards than a penchant for sticking the ball in the back of the net. Nunez’s willingness to run himself into the ground and lead the press, however, could help him slot in seamlessly alongside those ‘Mentality Monsters’ of Merseyside.
