Pundit verdict on Darwin Nunez after what he spotted at Liverpool – ‘Salah will have something to say’
Alan Hutton has predicted a “mouth-watering” Golden Boot race on the evidence of Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez’s league debut.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Tottenham and Aston Villa defender suggested Nunez, 23, will compete with Erling Haaland, 22, to be top goalscorer this season.
On Saturday (6 August), Nunez started on the bench in Liverpool’s league opener against Fulham.
The Uruguay international came off the bench to score and assist in a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.
Speaking to talkSPORT (7 August), Jurgen Klopp said the Reds may not have been able to rescue a point without the striker.
When asked if he was surprised how quickly Nunez settle in with his Liverpool teammates, Hutton told Football Insider:
“I think whenever you come from a different club or different country it takes a period of time to settle in but these are top professionals now.
“This is what they’re built for and when you’re playing with quality round about you it’s going to make you better.
“This is a guy who scored a barrel-load of goals last season, he knows where the net is anyway. So he’s coming in to a better team, a better squad, who are going to play to his attributes, going to find him inside the box. So in my opinion he’s only going to get better.
“Could it be between him and Haaland for the top goal-scorer? [Mohamed] Salah will have something to say about that, so will [Harry] Kane. But it’s just mouth-watering to think about it. I think he’s going to really hit the next level.“
In other news, a pundit has issued intriguing Sadio Mane-Raheem Sterling verdict after what he saw at Liverpool.