Darwin Nunez has acknowledged Jurgen Klopp’s role in improving his attitude at Liverpool and thanked the former manager for his assistance at Anfield.
The Reds striker discussed the challenges of succeeding in the Premier League, noting that the intensity is much higher than what he had encountered in Spain and Portugal.
Nunez, who recently turned 25, joined Liverpool from Benfica in 2022 for an initial £64 million, with add-ons that could potentially increase the total to a club-record £85 million.
It is believed that appearance-based clauses have raised the figure to £75 million. Nunez is currently performing well for Uruguay at the Copa America, having scored in a 3-1 win over Panama on Monday and adding another goal in Friday’s 5-0 win against Bolivia.
Nunez has netted 33 goals for Liverpool since transferring from Benfica, concluding last season with 18 goals and 13 assists. Klopp’s team secured the Carabao Cup and finished third in the Premier League.
In an interview for the Premier League’s ‘World Beaters’ series, Nunez expressed gratitude to Klopp for his guidance over their two seasons together, emphasizing the challenges of achieving success in English football’s top tier.
“To be honest, playing in the Premier League isn’t easy at all, it’s difficult,” Nunez says. “Players are stronger and there’s a higher level of intensity.
Klopp helped me improve some of my skills on the pitch. He helped me a lot to have a better attitude. To be honest, it is thanks to him that I am doing well today.
“I’ll try to give my best so that things turn out well for us and bring joy to every Uruguayan. Today I get to be the No.9 at Liverpool and follow in the footsteps of the greats who have played here. I’m doing the best I can to bring joy to the club and the fans.”
In the same video, team-mate Mohamed Salah adds: “He loves to run in the spaces, he is really, really fast so he keeps looking at me because he knows that I can give him the ball easily into the spaces and he can finish the situation.”
Nunez, having scored 10 goals in his last seven international appearances, will be back on the field for Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay as they take on the United States in Group C of the Copa America on Tuesday, July 2.
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