Darwin Nunez is “extra versatile” than Erling Haaland and a great match for Liverpool, in accordance with one in every of his former coaches.
Nunez joined Liverpool from Benfica on Tuesday, with the Lisbon membership confirming the payment to be £64million (€75m), and an extra £21.4m (€25m) in potential add-ons.
The Uruguayan striker netted 34 instances in 41 video games in all competitions for Benfica final season.
In the meantime, Manchester Metropolis – who pipped Liverpool by one level in a compelling Premier League title race final month – clinched the signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund after triggering his launch clause of a reported £51.2m (€60m).
Haaland scored a monstrous 86 targets in 89 video games for Dortmund throughout two-and-a-half seasons within the Bundesliga, and discuss has already begun about whether or not he or Nunez will do higher in English soccer.
Former Almeria assistant supervisor David Badia labored with Nunez throughout the 2019-20 season within the Spanish second tier, with the ahead netting 16 targets in 32 league video games earlier than a €24m transfer to Benfica.
In an unique interview with Stats Carry out, Badia stated he believes Nunez is a unique kind of participant to Haaland, and backed him to settle rapidly into Liverpool’s system.
“I don’t wish to say they’re related as a result of I believe Darwin could possibly be perhaps somewhat bit extra versatile,” he stated. “He’s a participant that may change the path somewhat bit sooner than Haaland.
“Possibly Haaland is somewhat bit extra highly effective and when he begins [running] he breaks every part in entrance of him, however I believe that [Nunez] can change path a bit sooner and, for the type that Liverpool has, I believe he is extra of a match.”
Badia, who has been managing in Cyprus since leaving Almeria in January 2021, believes Nunez could possibly be within the dialog for the Ballon d’Or throughout his time at Anfield.
“I believe that no one spoke about Darwin,” he stated concerning whether or not he can problem Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in future for the celebrated award.
“I imply, perhaps within the publicity, he has not [got] the model that the opposite two have.
“It’s going to be a really intelligent transfer from Liverpool, as a result of it’s appeared like everyone was trying [at] Haaland… no one was saying nothing about Darwin.
“However I do know him, I observe him, and I knew that the [club] who’s going to take him goes to [get a] cheaper [deal].”
Badia additionally outlined his first impressions of Nunez when he joined Almeria from Penarol in 2019, when he labored as an assistant to then-head coach and former Actual Madrid midfielder, Guti.
“In just a few coaching classes that we took… we might see that [Nunez] had one thing particular. We noticed that the Almeria was [too] small for him,” Badia added.
“Every thing that he was doing was on one other stage. The pace of execution was utterly [different] in comparison with the remainder of the gamers of the league, not solely within the staff of the league of the second division in Spain.
“He was a extremely essential participant for the staff, additionally his team-mates knew that he was going to go away earlier, that he was not going to remain longer as a result of everyone was watching him within the stands.
“We knew that this staff is coming, the opposite staff is coming, after which in the long run we knew that in a brief interval he was going to go away and he was going to go on his manner.”
