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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Mark Wakefield

Darwin Nunez backed to 'frighten' Diogo Jota as Liverpool striker prediction made

Darwin Nunez has been backed to become the “number one” striker at Liverpool this season.

The Reds signed the striker from Benfica earlier in the summer and he has started life well at Anfield. Nunez has five goals to his name during the pre-season campaign, four of which came in a 5-0 win over RB Leipzig.

The 23-year-old was recently on the scoresheet in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield. After his strike, Nunez will be hoping that gives him extra confidence going into the new campaign.

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Former West Ham star Frank McAvennie believes that Nunez will already have an eye on being the main striker at Liverpool. The ex-striker also thinks that Diogo Jota’s place in the team has been hindered as a result of Nunez’s form.

Jota is currently on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, and is yet to feature during any of Liverpool’s pre-season matches.

“He’s a good striker, he’d be fighting for a first choice start anyway,” McAvennie told Football Insider. “He’s come in and he’s scoring goals.

“I like him, he’s obviously come in and he’s enjoying it, you can see it on his face. He loves scoring goals so I think they’ve got enough strikers to frighten each other into playing well every week.

“That’s what you need in a big club. I think Nunez is thinking he’ll be number one. If Jota gets fit, will he be number one? I don’t know, this might have hindered him because of the injury.

“Nunez has come in and he’s going to be number one. There’s that many players that it’s going to be hard to tie down a place but I think Nunez is going to be number one. Somebody will have to dethrone him and that will be hard to do.“

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