Jurgen Klopp rates Darwin Nunez’s first display for Liverpool FC against Man United
Jurgen Klopp is expecting to see Darwin Nunez step up his performances for Liverpool FC after he made his debut for the Reds on Tuesday
Jurgen Klopp is expecting to see Darwin Nunez step up his performances for Liverpool FC in the coming weeks as he continues to work on his fitness levels in pre-season.
The Uruguay international made his first appearance for the Reds on Tuesday when he came on as a second-half substitute in Liverpool FC’s chastening 4-0 defeat by Manchester United.
Nunez had a good chance to score for the Reds late on but blazed his shot over the bar after having been involved in several of Liverpool FC’s attacking moves in the second half.
The 23-year-old will now be set to work on his fitness levels in the coming weeks as he looks to get himself ready for his first season in English football following his big-money transfer from Benfica early in the summer window.
Klopp was asked to rate Nunez’s performance after Tuesday’s defeat by Manchester United and the Reds boss insisted that he was pleased by what he saw from the new signing despite him clearly lacking some match sharpness.
Asked about Nunez after the match, Klopp said: “He is a number nine and he can play on the wing as well. We will see where he will play. But what you could see is the boys were already searching for him.
“It was his third session (since arriving for pre-season training) and I think after the third sprint his lungs were nearly ready to explode.
“We nearly killed him these balls but he offered the runs and the boys wanted to pass the ball, that is for sure one of his strengths. He was dangerous, all these kinds of things.
“So Darwin, we will see. I think his profile is a proper number nine so that’s helpful with speed and aggression and using his body, all these kinds of things.”
New summer signing Fabio Carvalho also made his first appearance for the Reds since his switch from Fulham earlier in the summer in the clash with Manchester United.
The 19-year-old winger started the game, and when asked about making his debut for the Merseyside outfit, Carvalho said after the defeat: “From the first day in training and until now as well, this is what I’ve been working on – to try to get into the team.
“Today it happened and I was on the pitch with my new teammates and they have welcomed me so well. I’m just thankful to be here and hopefully next game we can put things straight.
“We have a winning mentality that starts in training and we take it into the games. We want to win at any cost and do our best to try to win every game.
“Today it was a bit of a bittersweet moment for me because obviously it was my first game for Liverpool and hopefully the first of many.
“No-one really likes to get beat, especially against United and the way we did, but I’m sure we will be working on the pitch to try to justify that the next time we play against them.”
