Darwin Nunez has revealed how a private chat with Mohamed Salah helped him settle at Liverpool following his £64m move from Benfica earlier this summer.
The Uruguayan was signed as a replacement for Sadio Mane, and found his performances under intense scrutiny from opposing fans throughout pre-season as a result. However, after a four-goal haul against RB Leipzig, he came off the bench to make a goalscoring debut for the Reds against Man City in the Community Shield on Saturday, also winning a penalty in Jurgen Klopp ’s side’s 3-1 win.
Having not started against Pep Guardiola’s men, the 23-year-old acknowledged it will take him time to adapt at Anfield. And while he admitted he was nervous and making mistakes in pre-season after joining Liverpool, Nunez credited his team-mates, and Salah in particular, for helping him settle following his move from Portugal.
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"To be honest, the first weeks I was extremely nervous, so much that I was missing even the simplest pass,” he told SportsCenter, translated by Twitter user @iMiguelLFC. “It was really difficult to get used to being with the team at the beginning .
“But as time went by, they made me feel comfortable. I had a talk with Salah that helped me a lot. Then with the Brazilians, with Luis Diaz who's also a new guy here. It's really difficult to come to a big club like Liverpool and not to feel that pressure. And I felt that.
“The manager (Klopp) has talked a lot with me. He's always pushing me forward and has given me the trust and I aim to pay that trust back on pitch."
Nunez also revealed what instructions he was given when coming on for Roberto Firmino just before the hour-mark at the King Power Stadium when reflecting on his Liverpool debut and kick-starting his Reds career with both a goal and a trophy.
“I came on really motivated. The last minute advice was on the set-pieces, where to be and what to do,” he said. “After that just told me to enjoy myself and do what I do best with no pressure, and that's what I tried to do.
“It (his debut) was something beautiful. It started with Salah taking on the defence. I knew he'd go through and I know now that he will see me and put the ball on my head, so I just went at the far post and headed it aiming at the opposite side, and the ball hit Ruben's hand. And at the last minute, I knew Robbo would put it back, so I just ran at the box and luckily it worked.
“It's a really nice sensation to win my first trophy with Liverpool. But this must be just the beginning, there's still a long and beautiful road ahead. I will always try to do my best to help the team."
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