Rio Ferdinand believes Darwin Nunez will become a good player for Liverpool but stopped short of describing him as a 'classy player'.
The Uruguayan has endured a mixed start to his career on Merseyside, serving a three-match suspension for head-butting an opponent and struggling to adapt to his new environment. But after being handed a start against West Ham on Wednesday evening, he repaid the faith shown in him with his first goal for the Reds at Anfield whilst putting in an all-action first half performance.
The 22-year-old's third Premier League goal turned out to be the decider after Alisson Becker saved Jarrod Bowen's penalty, helping Liverpool see the game out 1-0 - only the second time they have produced back-to-back wins in the Premier League this season.
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Despite his stuttering start, Nunez now has three goals in his last four outings. Speaking about the big-money signing on the Vibe with Five podcast after the match, pundit Ferdinand pointed out the ex-Benfica star's short-comings but recognised where he can make his mark under Jurgen Klopp.
Ferdinand said: “If he [Klopp] wants anyone scoring outside of Salah, it will be Nunez. I don’t think classy would be one of the words I would use. I think he’s a handful. He’s aggressive, he wants the battle, he wants contact. Doesn’t mind that. He wants to run in behind and make it uncomfortable.
“His finishing, his execution isn’t quite clean yet. He may end up being a classy, mean finisher. But at the moment, I don’t see him as being that. I think he’s got all the right attributes to be a success at Liverpool.”
Nunez was withdrawn from the match against the Hammers shortly before the hour mark and Reds boss Klopp revealed that it was a precautionary measure.
Klopp said: “He [Nunez] felt a little bit the hamstring at half-time, so then you have to make early changes, which is absolutely fine, we can do that."
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