Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards says he would hate to play against Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez.
Darwin Nunez was at the heart of Liverpool‘s comeback versus Newcastle United last weekend, scoring twice after his side went 1-0 down at St James’ Park to make it 2-1 and secure the victory.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast about the 24-year-old, Richards said: “He’s rapid. I’d hate to play against that pace and he’s got that confidence.”
Nunez is yet to start a game in the Premier League for Liverpool this season, but you suspect that will change when the Reds take on Aston Villa at Anfield on Sunday after his heroics against Newcastle.
After going 1-0 down and losing Virgil van Dijk just before the half-hour mark following his red card, Jurgen Klopp probably would have been happy with a draw. Thanks to Nunez, though, the German and his team were able to return to Merseyside with a win and all three points.
Darwin Nunez should be Liverpool’s first-choice striker
Nunez cost Liverpool a lot of money, joining the Premier League club from Benfica in a deal worth £85m in total.
The £140,000-a-week (Spotrac) forward has also shown that he can deliver for Klopp’s side, with his display against Newcastle being the most recent example.
Therefore, he should be given a run up front soon. And with Cody Gakpo being quite a versatile attacker, room can be made to accommodate the Uruguayan.
Klopp could easily move Gakpo to the left and start Nunez up top. It just depends on the form of Luis Diaz.
If the 26-year-old is performing, as he has been this season after scoring against Chelsea and Bournemouth, then Gakpo is the one who will need to be dropped to get Nunez in the team.
If not, in a 4-3-3, then Klopp could go with an attack of Gakpo, Nunez and Mohamed Salah. Ultimately, the point is the Liverpool manager should be looking to make room in his team for the Uruguay international.