Paul Merson has revealed that he is worried that Liverpool's replacement for Sadio Mane, Darwin Nunez, will be unable to get the “big-game goals” that his predecessor did.
The Reds sold Mane to Bayern Munich last week for £35.1 million after he made it clear he was seeking a new challenge.
Jurgen Klopp did not stand in his way and sanctioned the deal for the Senegalese striker.
The Merseyside club moved quickly to find his replacement, bringing in Benfica starlet Darwin Nunez for somewhere in the region of £85 million.
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The Uruguayan hitman netted 34 times in 41 matches in the 2021/22 season for the Portugues giants, but Merson feels that the new signing will struggle to replicate Mane’s ability to score important goals frequently.
“Massive miss, massive,” Merson told Sky Sports.
“I worry, I don’t worry for Liverpool because they’ve got an unbelievable manager but people forget that Mane was a big-game player."
"A big-game player who scored big goals in football matches."
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“He wasn’t getting the third, fourth and fifth in a 5-0 win, he’d get the winning goal, the goal that took the lead or the equaliser.
“They are the goals I look for. I don’t look for ‘oh he got a hat-trick but he got four, five and six in a 7-1 win’"
"For me they are nothing goals. He got big football goals and Nunez has got to hit the ground running like Diaz and that doesn’t often happen in the Premier League.”
Nunez arrives at Anfield with pedigree and is widely regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Europe.
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The 23-year-old may take time to settle in the North West and into the intensity of the Premier League, but he has demonstrated an ability to perform on the biggest stage, managing six goals in ten Champions League appearances for Benfica last season.
Reproducing Mane’s extremely productive form at Liverpool may take the Uruguay international time, but it’s certainly within his capabilities.
After signing Nunez, Calvin Ramsay and Fabio Carvalho this summer, Klopp’s attention is turning to the outgoings at Anfield.
Topics: Paul Merson, Liverpool, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours
Alfie Culshaw