Micah Richards believes Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez would fit right in at Manchester City, despite his woes in front of goal on Thursday night.
City booked a place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with a thrilling 3-2 win against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium but had Nunez's finishing been more accurate the scoreline could have been different.
The Uruguayan striker - who Liverpool signed from Benfica for £85million in the summer - wasted a host of chances before and after half-time. Three of them were one-on-one opportunities but on each occasion the 23-year-old dragged his effort wide of the far post.
Last season City were reportedly interested in signing Nunez but they opted to bring in Erling Haaland instead. The Norwegian scored the opener on Thursday to take his tally for the season to 24 goals in 19 matches, while Nunez has nine in as many games.
Nunez did not have a good evening, but Sky Sports pundit and former City defender Micah Richards was keen to jump to his defence.
"The timing of his runs is brilliant. If he is in a Man City side today, he could have scored six because the timing of his runs is perfect."
Elaborating further, Richards explained what Nunez did wrong in the first half when he beat City's offside trap but not goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
"I thought he could have done better, this one here he’s sort of just dragged it. I like the way he timed his run here, and it’s just come off his shin."
Comparisons between Nunez and Haaland have added another dimension to the rivalry between City and Liverpool this season. After the Community Shield in August - in which Nunez scored and Haaland looked rusty - many pundits touted Nunez to have a better campaign than the City man, but as City fans know well, it can take a while for new signings to adapt to life in the Premier League.
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