Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised Benfica forward Darwin Nunez as the Reds continue to be linked with him.
Liverpool will face Benfica in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, with the first leg scheduled to be played at Estadio da Luz this Tuesday, April 5. In the pre-match press conference, Klopp was quizzed about Darwin Nunez, and the Liverpool boss, in reply, heaped praise on the Uruguayan striker.
The Liverpool boss even claimed that the 22-year-old is the ‘next one from Uruguay’, adding that he is not sure how Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez and Nunez play together for the country.
“He’s a good striker,” said Klopp. “The next one from Uruguay! I don’t know how they play together, Cavani, Suarez and him, in one team – that’s probably a challenge to put that in place.”
“Top, top boy. Yes, the goals he’s scored. Obviously the one against Ajax in Amsterdam was a massive one, yes in the group stage as well, so he’s not shy. He did now not start the last game, he came on at half time because of coming back from international duty, so we expect him to start tomorrow, and we have to make that he will not get a lot of balls,” he added.
The young striker has been on fire this season and has scored 27 goals in 34 appearances for the Portuguese club. Nunez’s solid form has caught the eyes of quite a few top European clubs, and Liverpool are one of them.
All three of the Reds’ top forwards, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Firmino, will enter the final year of their respective contracts after the ongoing season. Liverpool are thus preparing for life without their forwards should they fail to tie them down to longer contracts.
22-year-old Nunez looks like a solid option for Klopp’s side, who added Luis Diaz from FC Porto in the winter. Liverpool also have Diogo Jota in their ranks, and the Portuguese international has been highly impressive since joining from Wolves in 2020. So it remains to be seen if the Reds make a concrete offer for Nunez this summer.
