"I was missing even the simplest pass" - Darwin Nunez says he was 'extremely nervous' in his first few weeks at Liverpool
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has opened up about settling into life at his new club. He admitted he was nervous initially, but his teammates helped him feel comfortable in his new surroundings.
Nunez, who joined the Reds from Benfica for an initial fee of £64 million in June, turned heads with his performance on his club debut. Coming on as a second-half substitute against Manchester City in the Community Shield, he won a penalty and also scored a close-range header.
First official goal at @LFC 🫶🏼
And first trophy 😜 https://t.co/Tkp8U6I0QW
Speaking to Sports Centre (via Anfield Watch), the 23-year-old shed light on how superstar Mohamed Salah and forward Luis Diaz helped him feel at home in north-west England. He said:
"To be honest, the first weeks I was extremely nervous, so much that I was missing even the simplest pass. It was difficult to get used to being with the team at the beginning. But as time went by, they made me feel comfortable. I had a talk with Salah that helped me a lot. Then with the Brazilians, with Luis Diaz, who is also a new guy here."
He added:
"It's really difficult to come to a big club like Liverpool and not to feel that pressure. I felt that. The manager (Klopp) has talked a lot with me. He's always pushing me forward and has given me the trust, and I aim to pay that trust back on (the) pitch."
Earlier, the Uruguayan came under fire for his poor pre-season performances but bounced back with a 20-minute hat-trick against RB Leipzig in a friendly last month. After scoring his first competitive goal for the club on Saturday, he'll look to build on his momentum.
Liverpool are scheduled to open their new Premier League campaign at Fulham on August 6.
Darwin Núñez became the 100th different player to feature during Jürgen Klopp's reign at Liverpool when he took to the field in Saturday's Community Shield win over Manchester City. #LFC https://t.co/tTZIFT388E
Jamie Carragher on Darwin Nunez's arrival at Liverpool
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher shared his thoughts on the club-record signing Darwin Nunez, calling him a top player. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said that the 23-year-old's arrival has brought down the average age of the Reds' front three.
"When you lose someone like (Sadio) Mane, who has been so pivotal for four or five years, and you're bringing in a sort of unknown quantity in Nunez. He looks a top player and has great pedigree — and Liverpool did need to bring the average age of that front-three down."
He added:
"It's difficult to say they look stronger right now, considering how good Mane was, certainly in the second half of last season. But also, I'm really excited to see how they evolve with him. It's interesting to see the change of the dynamics of the team and, if it makes Liverpool better, then who knows?"
Nunez scored 34 goals in 41 games across competitions for Benfica last season.