"He is a machine" - Benfica player on Darwin Nunez ahead of Liverpool transfer

Benfica's Adel Taarabt has said that Darwin Nunez is going to be a mix of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez when he joins Liverpool in the Premier League.

It has been confirmed that Nunez will be joining Liverpool this summer.

Speaking to TalkSport, as quoted by Anfield Watch's Twitter account, Taarabt said that he knew the striker was going to be one of the best forwards in world football when he first saw him at Benfica.

“He will work so hard for the team - he’s fit, if you see his body he’s a real athlete," he said. "He is a machine, for me, now in Premier League, he will score for sure. 100 per cent (Nunez can carry his Benfica form to Liverpool).

“You saw it in the Champions League, the two games he had against Liverpool, he was amazing. Even after the game, the second leg when he scored after the match I think (Jurgen) Klopp went to him direct and said ‘what a player'.

“You see for Liverpool, they brought (Luis) Diaz from Porto, you see how good he was. For Darwin, I don’t know if it will be official or for sure Benfica will sell, I’ve heard (the reports). I think for Darwin it will be the language (barrier as his main struggle).

“That is what’s important when you come to England, he has a mix of Cavani and Suarez, he can jump, go behind, for me, he’s a mix of both. This season: 34 goals, six goals in the Champions League, two against Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

“The most important (thing), he keeps his head, focused, for me, the only thing (problem) at Liverpool is the language barrier. Last year when he arrived from Almeria no one knows him really but it was already a big fee, a lot of people were surprised.

“When we saw him in the first training (session) we understood he was going to be one of the best forwards in the world, in my opinion."

Anfield Watch Verdict

That is very high praise from Nunez's Benfica teammate. Taarabt also played in the Premier League, so he knows what it takes to be successful in England.

I'm sure Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson will be very happy with the signing too. Even though they've registered a number of assists between them despite not having a number nine to look for, I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to have a 6'2 forward to aim at instead of a 5'8 winger.

Even though the transfer fee is pretty high (reportedly €75 million), Klopp wouldn't have sanctioned this deal if he wasn't 100 per cent convinced Nunez would succeed in his Liverpool side.