“We followed Darwin for a long time" - Pep Lijnders on signing Nunez

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has opened up on why the club signed Darwin Nunez this summer.

The striker has joined the Reds from Benfica for a transfer fee of £67.50 million.

As you can read below, Lijnders has revealed that Liverpool had been following Nunez for quite some time before making a move for him.

Speaking with GOAL, the 39-year-old said: “We followed Darwin for a long time. Our scouting team followed him, made reports, compiled videos and kept him in their sights.

“Then there is a moment when you’re sitting in a recruitment meeting with Jurgen (Klopp), Julian (Ward) and Mike (Gordon) and it’s like ‘OK, let’s go!

“He’s a centre-forward that likes to drift. He’s not a fixed No.9, and that was something we think can be good to open up spaces for others as well, which is something we think we can improve.

“Is it a gamble? Maybe, but the most important thing for the player is that he feels from the players and the staff that football isn’t a perfect game.

“We deal with moments where things don’t work out well, and that we don’t lose confidence and trust in the player. We don’t judge players on one game or one moment, never.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

It is always interesting to read why a club signs a certain player. We are confident that Nunez will be a success at Anfield.

The forward has had a solid start to life at Liverpool. Nunez has scored two goals and registered one assist in two competitive fixtures.

Because of the price that Liverpool paid to sign the Uruguay international, there was always going to be pressure on him. Therefore, it was important that Nunez had a good start to life at his new club.

Hopefully the forward can stay fit and fire Liverpool towards a trophy or two. Only time will tell if that is to be the case.