“He has got all the right attributes” - Rio Ferdinand delivers verdict on Darwin Nunez’s start to life at Liverpool
Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand has provided his thoughts on Darwin Nunez's time at Liverpool so far.
Liverpool forked out an initial sum of £64.1 million to acquire Nunez's services from Benfica in the summer. The Portuguese giants could pocket around £21 million more after add-ons, taking the total fee to £85 million.
However, the Uruguay international has had a slow start to his life in the Premier League. He managed to find the back of the net just twice in his first eight competitive matches for the Reds.
After two months of struggles, Nunez now appears to be slowly finding his rhythm in Jurgen Klopp's side. He has notably scored in each of his last three starts for Liverpool in all competitions.
Providing his thoughts on Nunez, Ferdinand pointed out how the striker makes life difficult for opposition defenders. The Manchester United great explained that the Reds frontman may lack finesse, but is still a handful for opponents. He said on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel:
"I don't think classy would be one of the words I'd use [to describe Nunez]. I think he is a handful, he is aggressive, he wants to battle, he wants contact, he doesn't mind that. He wants to run in behind and make it uncomfortable for you."
Ferdinand, though, expressed concerns about Nunez's finishing as a centre-forward. He added:
"I just think his finishing and his execution aren't quite clean yet. He may end up being a classy and clean finisher, but at the moment, I don't see him as being that. Listen, it might be confidence because I've seen, at Benfica, when he hit, he hit things clean, but there was still a rough edge around him, but I put that down to age."
However, the former defender believes the 23-year-old has what it takes to be a success at Anfield. He concluded:
"I think he could probably grow into that, I think he will do it if he takes time, but at the moment, he is snatching at a lot of stuff, but that's expected from a new signing, who hasn't had the perfect start like Haaland, who everything he hits, hits the back of the net. He has got all the right attributes to be a success at Liverpool."
Nunez scored the winner for Liverpool against West Ham
The Reds followed up their huge win against Manchester City with another 1-0 victory over West Ham on Wednesday (October 19). Starring in the match for Klopp's side was Nunez.
Nunez got on the end of a cross from Konstantinos Tsimikas and found the back of the net with a brilliant header. The former Benfica man's goal ultimately proved to be the winner for the Anfield outfit.
Having now scored his first home goal for the Reds, Nunez will be keen to add more to his tally in the coming weeks.