"He'll be fantastic for us" - James Milner backs 23-year-old Liverpool star to have a huge impact this season
Liverpool midfielder James Milner has heaped praise on new signing Darwin Nunez and has backed the striker to have a massive impact during his time with the Merseyside club.
The Reds signed the Uruguayan forward from Portuguese giants Benfica for a club-record fee of £85 million. He joined the Reds on the back of an incredible 2021-22 campaign, during which he scored 34 goals in 41 games across competitions.
Milner believes Nunez has all the traits, characteristics, and abilities to live up to his price tag and become a world-class player for Liverpool.
"I think he'll have an impact the whole time he's here to be honest. Since he's been here, he's [been] impressive on the field, worked hard, makes great runs [and] is desperate to put his head on the ball in the box," Milner to Liverpool's official website.
He added:
"If you put the ball in there, he'll do everything he can to get on the end of it, good finisher, both feet and he's different to the other boys up there. We've already got some very exciting attacking players who can cause problems, so he's a great addition. He'll be fantastic for us."
🗣️ "Darwin's going to be a handful I'm sure of that"
James Milner thinks that new Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is a "fantastic" signing 🔴
https://t.co/e2iR3I3lx7
Nunez has been in red hot form since joining Liverpool. He scored four goals in the club's 5-0 victory over RB Leipzig in a pre-season friendly. The 23-year-old then scored his side's third goal in their impressive 3-1 victory over Manchester City after coming on as a second-half substitute in the Community Shield encounter.
The forward was once again named on the bench for Liverpool's opening Premier League game of the season against Fulham. After replacing Roberto Firmino in the second-half, Nunez scored one and assisted another to help Klopp's side claim a 2-2 draw despite their disappointing performance at Craven Cottage.
Klopp is likely to include Nunez in his starting line-up for the game against Crystal Palace on Monday due to his good form.
Liverpool's youngsters could have a major role to play during the opening stages of this season
The Reds have signed, developed, and promoted a number of youngsters over the last couple of seasons. The likes of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliot have become prominent members of the club's first team.
The club also signed young attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho from Fulham and Scottish right-back Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen this summer. The aforementioned quartet could have a major role to play during the opening stages of this season due to the Reds' ongoing injury crisis.
Thiago Alcantara's hamstring injury opens the door to Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho to step up and impress Jurgen Klopp | @DominicKing_DM trib.al/SLESYxB
Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Kostas Tsimikas were ruled out of the game against Fulham due to injury or illness. Thiago Alcantara was forced off the field early in the second half due to a hamstring injury.
Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliot will therefore be expected to fill the void left by Thiago, Keita, and Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield. Fabio Carvalho could also see regular playing time due to Jota's absence. Calvin Ramsay, on the other hand, is expected to provide adequate cover to Trent Alexander-Arnold.