One former Liverpool striker from Uruguay has heaped high praise onto the current No. 9 after he netted two more goals for his country against Bolivia.
Nunez is in fine form on both club and international stages, having registered 12 goals and nine assists for the Reds and Uruguay since the start of the campaign.
His latest brace takes his tally under manager Marcelo Bielsa up to five goals and three assists in six games, placing him in fine form heading into a crucial meeting with the league leaders on Saturday lunchtime.
One man who knows a thing or two about scoring for Liverpool and Uruguay is Luis Suarez, who spent three-and-a-half years on Merseyside and is widely regarded as one of the best players to have ever pulled on a red shirt.
Speaking after the victory over Bolivia, Suarez described his compatriot as “one of the best No. 9s in the world” following his latest impressive showing.
“I have one of the best No. 9s in the world ahead of me, which is Darwin Nunez. We have to take advantage of it and enjoy it,” said Suarez of the man he replaced in the 73rd minute, as quoted by El Pais.
“He has things from [me], from Edi [Cavani], from Haaland, from everyone. It is a mixture of everything: goals, commitment and sacrifice for the team, that must be valued.
“Today I am in another role and I am happy to be here helping the group, what I have to do is contribute.”
Now aged 36, Suarez has seen his international minutes restricted in recent years amid the rise of Nunez in the squad.
Liverpool’s former No. 7 scored 82 goals in 133 appearances during his time at Anfield between 2011 and 2014.
This included a remarkable 31 Premier League goals in just 33 appearances in 2013/14, a season in which Brendan Rodgers’ side got within touching distance of lifting the Premier League.
Nunez is now viewed as the natural heir to Suarez’s Uruguayan throne, and is showing no signs of letting that pressure get the better of him having made an excellent start to 2023/24.
The Etihad is up next for the Reds and their current centre-forward, where a win would represent a significant psychological step forward in mounting a serious title challenge in this campaign.
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