Glen Johnson believes Darwin Núñez will succeed at Liverpool
Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson believes that new striker Darwin Núñez can succeed at Liverpool if he gets off to a fast start when the new season begins.
The 23-year-old Uruguayan moved to Merseyside earlier this summer from Portuguese powerhouse Benfica. The price paid has put a target on the young Uruguayan’s back and the mixed performances in pre-season have not helped matters either.
Despite the criticism, the 23-year-old silenced his critics by scoring four goals in a recent friendly against RB Leipzig. Johnson, who spent six years at Liverpool, believes that the attacker may have a fantastic first season for the Reds if he gets off to a flying start.
While speaking to GGRecon (h/t Liverpool Echo), the former Reds defender said:
“He’s certainly going to have to contribute if Liverpool are going to win the league title. I don’t think he will have to be at his absolute best but he’s certainly going to have some sort of impact. I believe that if he gets an early goal then he’ll settle in nicely.”
Darwin Núñez lit up Europe in 2021–2022, scoring 34 goals in 41 games and leading his previous club Benfica to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals and a third-place finish in the Portuguese top division.
His achievements over the previous year propelled him to star status and made the 23-year-old one of Europe’s most sought-after talents. Liverpool beat off significant competition to sign the player in the summer.
Due to Luis Suarez’s impressive time at the club, Liverpool supporters would be well aware of Uruguay’s outstanding history of producing elite strikers. The Reds now have one of their own and would hope that the 23-year-old would make history at the club.
However, the uncertainty surrounding Nunez’s chances of succeeding in the Premier League is partly due to where he has played football. Although some would consider Portugal’s league to be of a higher overall caliber than France, it is not regarded as one of the top five in Europe.
In any case, it would seem unlikely for Darwin Núñez to be able to match his total of 26 league goals from last season when he makes his debut in English football. But exactly how unlikely is it? After all, players like Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, and Diogo Jota increased their goal output after moving to Anfield.
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Nunez would now aim to take over this success to the Premier League and make a strong start in his rookie campaign.
