Jordan Henderson backs Darwin Nunez to succeed at Liverpool
While speaking in an interview as quoted by The Athletic, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has admitted that he believes new signing Darwin Nunez would be able to fill the void left by Sadio Mane’s departure.
Following his £85 million transfer from Benfica, Uruguayan striker Nunez replaced Mane, who left after six years to join Bayern Munich. Replacing the Senegalese star is no easy task and Nunez will need to step up his game.
Liverpool captain Henderson claimed Nunez’s addition has given Jurgen Klopp’s team an assault with new dimensions even though he accepted Mane will be a significant loss.
“Darwin performed well and scored in both games. That’s probably a big reason why we signed him, but also the recruitment staff will have watched him in plenty of other games and will have seen a lot of quality. Hopefully, he can settle in and hit the ground running. He’s a new option and a new dimension for us with the way we play and we’ve got to adapt to that quickly.”
The Reds Captain also suggested it has been hard to handle Mane’s loss but respecting the Senegalese international players’ stance he has given him best wishes for the future.
“It was always going to be difficult losing Sadio because he’s world-class — one of the best forwards in the world. We were sad to see him leave but we wish him all the best.”
Nunez’s performances greatly benefited Benfica. Since joining the team from Almeria, he has scored 47 goals and provided 16 assists in 84 competitive games. The attacker has made an impression in the UEFA Champions League in addition to his contributions to Portugal’s top division.
This season, Benfica advanced to the knockout stages of the famous event thanks in large part to Nunez’s heroics against Barcelona. He even scored two goals over two legs against Liverpool in the quarterfinals and the game-winning goal against Ajax Amsterdam in the Round of 16 match.
Mane has been a star performer for Liverpool, and his absence would be catastrophic for the group’s overall depth.
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However, the team’s high aspirations are rekindled by Nunez’s arrival, which also brings new hope. The 22-year-old has extraordinary skill and, at his current rate of advancement, he could one day rank among the best players in the world.
When transferring from another league to the Premier League, a player typically takes some time to adjust. It will be intriguing to watch when Nunez picks the pace in the Premier League. If he develops into a top scorer as his fellow countryman Luis Suarez did, fans will be overjoyed.
