Darwin Nunez has the talent and work rate to be a major hit at Liverpool, according to Mark Lawrenson.
The former Anfield centre-back won five league titles and one European Cup with the Reds, during a trophy-laden seven season spell on Merseyside. And in a recent interview with Paddy Power, the former Match of the Day pundit ran the rule over Liverpool's new Uruguayan striker.
Lawrenson said: “Liverpool hope Darwin Nunez will hit the ground running. I saw both the Liverpool fixtures against Benfica in the Champions League, and in all honesty, he tore us apart. He’s lightning quick and he can play anywhere across the front three. I also don’t see (Roberto) Firmino leaving because then they'd be a little bit thin on the ground.
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“He's a top signing and when you look at it, he's a top striker who works extremely hard, which is a prerequisite of any Liverpool player - let alone forward players. It’s a very clever signing and he’s young as well. They're obviously hoping that Nunez will have the same impact as Luis Diaz and there's a lot of excitement about the fact that he's only going to get better.”
The arrival of the two South American attackers means Jurgen Klopp's forward line next season will have a very different look about it to the one that start last season. But despite the changes in personnel, Lawrenson believes there are still only two teams who can compete for the Premier League title, who operate in the transfer market in very different ways.
He added: "There's only two teams that can win the Premier League next season, and they are the same two as last year. Obviously, (Manchester) City won it last time, but as everybody saw, it was so close and it went on very, very late into the season. Liverpool are shopping in a different market. They have to balance the books, which it looks like they're going to do by selling some of the other players that they have. City are in that position where that doesn't really matter, although of course Gabriel Jesus has gone.
“So, City are the favourites, but they know that if they lack any or lose form along the way, Liverpool will be waiting. It could be Liverpool's title, but before the first game of the season, before the first ball is even kicked, everybody will go for City to win it – unless you’re a massive Red!"
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