Stephen Warnock has hailed the instant impact of sporting director Julian Ward as Liverpool prepare to announce the signing of Darwin Nunez.
The Reds have wrapped up a deal for the Benfica forward, who has agreed a six-year contract and will be announced in due course. Key to this transfer being done was Ward, who has stepped up to fill the void left by outgoing recruitment chief Edwards.
Utilising his Portuguese connections, as was the case in the January deal for Luis Diaz, the 40-year-old flew to Lisbon for talks with senior Benfica officials last week regarding Nunez. A breakthrough was reached on Sunday, involving a set fee of £64.1million (€75m) with a possible £12.8m (€15m) in appearance-related add-ons and further £8.5m (€10m) depending on team success.
READ MORE: Darwin Nunez 'spotted' in Liverpool ahead of transfer unveiling
READ MORE: Darwin Nunez has exposed Man United boardroom problem before joining Liverpool
Edwards will certainly prove a tough act to follow but former Liverpool defender Warnock believes his successor is showing all the signs he can go on to have a similar impact on the club.
“It’s one that he (Ward) needed to get over the line (Nunez). How they managed the (Sadio) Mane situation is also interesting as well," he told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
“It’s going to be interesting what happens now with the likes of (Takumi) Minamino, (Alex) Oxlade-Chamberlain, whether those guys will move on. (Fabio) Carvalho has come in, whether that was his (Ward's) signing or whether that was something Michael Edwards tried to sort out during the January transfer window...
“From what you hear, in and around the club, is that Michael Edwards has taken a backwards step from January onwards ready for Julian Ward to take that step into the first team and to be able to bring players in. He has to continue that trend. This will be a big one (Nunez) for him to get over the line.”
