It’s never easy moving to a new country, with a different culture and language but Jurgen Klopp knows his squad is “the best I’ve had” at helping new signings settle.
And Darwin Nunez is reaping the rewards of just that after making the switch from Benfica, just two years after he left his native Uruguay for Europe.
It’s made for plenty of adjustment for the young forward but at Liverpool, the senior players represent more than 15 nations and, in turn, speak countless languages between them.
As settling in goes, it makes for as smooth of a transition as you could hope for in addition to the squad’s hospitality and spirit, which Klopp has praised amid all eyes being on Nunez.
The 22-year-old is not the type of forward Liverpool have pursued in recent years and with the adjustment period for a new signing rarely instant, it only adds to the complexity of settling in.
“We need time to get used to each other which is absolutely fine,” Klopp told Sky Sports when speaking of Nunez.
“It makes no sense to think he’d be at his absolute best after just three days of training.
“The group we have is the best I’ve had in terms of helping those from the outside coming in to settle. A striker of his skillset will need time as it’s different to what we had before.
“We played in a different way to Benfica, so for me both sides have to adapt [the player and the existing players].
“He didn’t score in his first two games, in 50-odd minutes or whatever, and we immediately faced discussions.
“That’s a crazy world out there! He then scores four goals in a game, and we’re discussing him the other way around.
“He’s a really nice guy, loves being here, our Spanish community players help him a lot and is learning English already, working hard to understand the basics – it’s all going in the right direction.”
Nunez was quick to see copious knee-jerk reactions after only a few days with his new teammates before then responding with four goals in 45 minutes, which came as a welcome confidence booster.
Thiago has been readily seen working in tandem with Nunez in training and assisting with the language barrier and while Andy Robertson has only had the language of smiles, it all goes to show why Klopp feels this squad is “the best” for this type of job.
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