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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Charlotte Coates

Darwin Nunez has perfect Liverpool example after telling social media post

'Resilience'. That's the one-word message Darwin Nunez felt the need to post on social media to defend his performances after the first 52 minutes he spent on the pitch as a Liverpool player.

The 23-year-old completed his potential club-record move to Anfield last month for an initial fee of £64m, which could hit £85m if all add-ons are met. If they are, it would mean he has been a huge success for the Reds, and it would mean he had become the most expensive signing in the club's history.

But it also means the pressure - from outside of Anfield at least - was always likely to be on. And after those cameo appearances against Manchester United and Crystal Palace last week on the club's Far East tour, that appears to be the case.

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Rival fans have been quick to tease Nunez at his failure to find the net in the clashes in Thailand and Singapore respectively. And it appears the big-money striker is aware of such barbs given what he has posted on social media.

But if the Uruguayan needs some support - and he's getting lots of that from Jurgen Klopp and his team-mates - then he need look no further than another forward who became the club's record signing back in 2007. One Fernando Torres.

After signing from Atletico Madrid for a fee in the region of £20m, Torres arrived at Liverpool with huge expectations on his young shoulders. Like Nunez is now, Torres was 23 at the time, but he had come from a club where he had been captain since he was 19.

However, once pre-season got into full swing, some were wondering whether the hype was justified. Torres missed three great chances and then fluffed his penalty in a shootout loss to Portsmouth in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Hong Kong.

Social media back then wasn't what it is today, but even if it had been, all was forgotten once the real action kicked off, with Torres opening his Liverpool account on his first appearance at Anfield with a brilliant finish against Chelsea. Any critics soon realised the hype was justified as the dashing forward went on to score 24 times in the league and 33 in all competitions in his debut season as a Red.

Now Nunez will be hoping to create his own history at Anfield. His time at Liverpool will not be remembered for what he did during pre-season. It'll be remembered for the competitive goals he scores - and the trophies he wins with the club. And that is how Nunez can separate himself from Torres.

Torres left Liverpool for Chelsea in January 2011 for a fee of £50m - breaking the hearts of Reds fans all over the world. But despite being a hero on Merseyside, and netting an impressive 81 goals in 142 games, he was unable to lead Liverpool to glory. The closest he came to silverware was when Rafa Benitez's side finished second in the Premier League in 2008/09 and fell short in the Champions League semi-finals the year before.

But the big benefit Nunez has is that he is coming into a winning team that is already at the top. And he deserves his place there. Liverpool supporters saw first hand just what he can offer after the Reds drew Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season. Nunez scored in both legs and even got a mention off Virgil van Dijk when asked who his toughest opponents have been.

Van Dijk knew what Liverpool were getting and so does Klopp. "It’s kind of a game or a joke for some people to pick out some situations where a player’s not doing well. That’s only a game from [fans of] other clubs, which is normal," said the Reds boss.

“Our fans probably do [the same] with signings of Manchester United. We cannot take this seriously.”

The main thing for Nunez now is to keep working on his fitness and keep gelling more with his new team-mates. Liverpool have not played with a typical No.9 under Klopp and it will take them time. It's a learning curve, all round, but once it clicks, the young South American will give the team a new dimension.

When you have the talent of Nunez, goals are just around the corner. Just ask Fernando Torres.

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