Darwin Nunez scored twice for Liverpool in a win over Southampton on Saturday (Picture: Getty Images)
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been impressed with the rapid progression of Darwin Nunez at Liverpool, praising the forward’s speed and versatility after he scored twice against Southampton on Saturday.
The Uruguayan netted a brace after Roberto Firmino had put the Reds ahead early, only for Che Adams to quickly equalise, with all the goals in the match scored in the first half.
They were Nunez’s fourth and fifth Premier League goals of the season, while he has also found the back of the net three times in the Champions League for Liverpool.
After an early red card in his Reds career, followed by suspension, the 23-year-old has bounced back impressively and is showing his quality, not only as a centre-forward but also playing on the left wing as he was at Anfield on Saturday.
Alexander-Arnold certainly likes what he sees from his teammate, feeling it was always going to take a bit of time to settle, especially after a move from Benfica which cost an initial £64m.
‘Definitely (he’s shown growth since arriving). Coming over to the Premier League, with the price tag on his back, was going to be a heavy weight,’ Alexander-Arnold told the BBC. ‘It took him a few games to get going but we all saw in training the player he is.
‘He’s a proper centre-forward with speed but was playing on the wing today, he’s versatile. We saw what he could do and he’s hit a stride now, he’s enjoying his football.’
Trent Alexander-Arnold is heading to the World Cup with England this winter (Picture: Getty Images)
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp liked Nunez’s pace on the left flank, but was not entirely happy, reminding the forward that he has defending to do when playing out wide.
‘The first half was really good,’ said the German. ‘We did everything Southampton didn’t want us to do. We used the speed of Mo and Darwin. In the system we play,
‘Darwin has to defend the left wing. Great play offensively from him. We didn’t do that enough in the second half.’
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‘He’s a proper centre-forward.’
