Darwin Nunez, guilty of missing easy chances in Liverpool’s first few friendlies, silenced his critics by netting four against RB Leipzig. Jurgen Klopp has now called for patience with his club’s record signing.
The Uruguayan scored once from the spot and thrice from open play, helping Liverpool to a 5-0 win over their German counterparts through a dominant display.
Klopp, whose club broke its transfer record to sign the striker from SL Benfica, called for patience with the young forward following his heroics. The German laid bare his thoughts on the gruelling routines of pre-season, clarifying why it is even harder for new players to adapt to the intensity immediately with plenty of eyes watching the developments closely.
“In the pre-season players should not play like they usually play because we train really hard, it would be kind of a bad sign that we are not working hard enough if players have the freshest legs ever in the training games. But in the same moment when you are a new player you get judged every day, everybody speaks about you,”
he told the club’s website.
“Everything is so hectic – I’m not sure if it is my age or whatever, it’s just too hectic for me. I always think, ‘Why are we judging people constantly that early?’
Not only footballers, in general. So, everything will be good. It will take time like it always takes time but it’s fine.”
Two seasons after he signed for Benfica in a club-record 24 million euro deal, Nunez arrived at Anfield. The Premier League side paid 75 million upfront plus 25 million in add-ons, eclipsing the fee handed to Southampton for the transfer of Virgil van Dijk in 2018.
The Uruguayan came to Merseyside with a record of 48 goals in 85 games for the Portuguese giants and the domestic top-scorer award for the 2021/22 season, becoming Liverpool’s second signing of the summer following Fabio Carvalho.
