Darwin Nunez is the fastest player in Premier League history after setting new top speed record

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is now the fastest player in the history of the Premier League.

The 23-year-old forward has certainly had an eventful start to his Liverpool career after joining the Anfield club in an £85m move from Benfica this summer.

After scoring in the Community Shield win over Manchester City and also in Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Fulham in their opening game of the Premier League season, Nunez was sent off against Crystal Palace on his competitive home debut.

He has since returned to the side and has managed a promising return of five goals from his 12 games this season.

Nunez scored his first goal at Anfield for Liverpool on Wednesday as the Reds battled to a 1-0 win over West Ham.

During the match, Nunez also set a new record for the fastest sprint in Premier League history.

FTBL have reported that the Uruguay international clocked a top speed of 38 km/h, breaking the previous record of 37.802 km/h set by Manchester City defender Kyle Walker in 2020.

Wolves winger Adama Traore is third on the all-time list with a top speed of 37.787 km/h, while Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka and former Aston Villa winger Trezeguet are tied for fourth on 37.594 km/h.

Last season, Nunez recorded the second-fastest top speed in the Champions League.

He reached a top speed of 36.5 km/h while playing for Benfica.

Nunez scored his first goal at Anfield for Liverpool against West Ham (Image: Alamy)

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe topped the list with a speed of 36.7 km/h, recorded against Real Madrid in the second leg of their last 16 clash.

Speaking after the win over West Ham, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was pleased to see Nunez score his first home goal for the Reds.

"It is important. He has scored now a couple of times in the last few games. He arrived 100 per cent, now even with numbers, which is fine," said Klopp, who explained that his decision to substitute the striker in the second half was merely a precaution.

Nunez clocked the fastest recorded speed in Premier League history in the match (Image: Alamy)

"He felt a little bit the muscles at half-time but it was all fine and after five minutes [of the second half] I was just a bit concerned about long sprints for him and balls where he stretches his legs.

"I thought, 'Come on, we cannot take that risk' and that’s why we changed."

When asked if Nunez's fitness was a cause for concern, Klopp added: "No, no, no. I think we caught it at the right moment."

Liverpool next face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.