Darwin Nunez’s goal in Saturday’s 2-0 victory for Liverpool over Newcastle United earned the striker high praise from former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez.
Due to Nunez’s Reds goal scoring record, he has drawn criticism during his debut season in England and has become a frequent target for opposing fans.
But, after the Uruguayan striker scored in Saturday’s 2-0 victory away at Newcastle United, former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez lauded the player.
Benitez even compared Nunez to former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, who arrived at Anfield from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2007 and had a similarly slow start to life there, before really taking off.
Benitez praised Nunez’s performance against Newcastle while serving as a commentator on Sky Sports, saying: “He is a hard worker – he’s always making the runs and doing the right things. After he finished and scored a great goal, the manager will be happy.
“My feeling is you are watching the game – as a manager you are really worried. He has the pace to do that and run in behind. For you as a manger he is someone you have to worry about then he will finish.”
In his first 11 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, Torres scored just four goals.
Then, in his subsequent 22 league games, he scored 20 goals.
Between 2007 and 2011, the Spaniard made 142 appearances for the team, scoring 81 goals overall, 65 of which came in the Premier League.
His goal on Saturday was his first in seven league games, a streak that had started prior to the World Cup break, bringing his league total to six.
The 23-year-old has 11 goals in 28 appearances this season in all competitions.
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