Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has come to the defence of Darwin Nunez
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has come to the defence of Darwin Nunez as the Uruguayan faces criticism for his performances during pre-season. In the games against Manchester United and Crystal Palace, the striker has been underwhelming.
The Reds’ Thailand tour got off to a bad start as the Red Devils beat us 4-0. The performance against Palace was much better. But Nunez had a tough time in both games.
Van Dijk, speaking to The Athletic (Subscription Required), came to the 23-year-old’s defence. The centre-back praised the striker’s quality. The Uruguayan especially caught the Dutch national’s eye during the away leg in the Champions League.
“He’s a very talented striker — one for now and also one for the future.
“He did well. He caused a lot of problems for us as a team. Very direct, quick and strong.”
When Benfica came up against Liverpool in the quarter-final, Nunez was on the scoresheet in both legs. The Uruguayan gave a lot of problems to our back line with his speed and strength.
The 23-year-old had a brilliant season with the Eagles. Playing as a centre-forward, he scored a lot in the role. Now Nunez comes to Merseyside to hopefully continue in the same vein.
Van Dijk explains that Sadio Mane had his reasons for leaving Liverpool. With the Senegalese gone, the Reds needed to bring someone in and they chose the Uruguayan.
“The club reacted by getting Darwin in. Hopefully, he’s going to have a fantastic career for Liverpool.”
Pre-season is the time for players to get back into match fitness. It’s increasingly more important for new players and allows them to build connections and relationships within the squad.
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Nunez has looked a bit lost in the first couple of games. That could be attributed to not having chemistry yet with most players in the team. With time, fans are hopeful that the 23-year-old will flourish.
Replacing Mane is no small task. Nunez has big shoes to fill. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the pressure doesn’t get to him.
