Darwin Nunez sent advice to replicate Salah and Mane success at Liverpool

Darwin Nunez can win over the Liverpool fans like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane by hitting the ground running, according to Stewart Downing.

Nunez became Liverpool 's record signing when he joined the club from Benfica on June 14. The Reds agreed to pay an initial fee of £64million for the Uruguayan striker, but it will quickly rise to £75m based on appearances, while Benfica could also receive a further £10m based on trophy success, meaning he will overtake Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool's most expensive signing.

That price tag comes with some pressure, especially following Sadio Mane's £35m departure to Bayern Munich, but Nunez has the reputation to cope with it. The 23-year-old netted 48 goals across 85 appearances in all competitions for Benfica and looks a good fit for Jurgen Klopp's side.

Liverpool fly out to Bangkok on Saturday for the first leg of their pre-season tour and will take on Manchester United in a friendly on Tuesday. That match could give Nunez a chance to endear himself to Liverpool fans and former Reds winger Downing believes first impressions will be key for the new arrival.

"I think he will be a fans' favourite, just the way he plays, 100 per cent the fans will love that and it will be nice if he gets a couple of goals early on, especially at Anfield to get his confidence up," Downing told the Liverpool Echo.

"That's what happened with Salah and Mane, they got off to good starts and their careers took off and you hope he does well. He looks like a fantastic player from what I have seen."

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Nunez has already spoken of his excitement at playing alongside the "monsters" Liverpool have up front next season. Even before arriving on Merseyside, he knew Liverpool well, having played and scored in both legs of Benfica's Champions League quarter-final clashes with Klopp's side in April.

He will now hope to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot, Luis Suarez, who contributed 82 goals and 46 assists in 133 games for the club. "He has that South America style about him," Downing added. "He's a bit like a Suarez type of player and with the crosses coming in from both sides he is going to thrive on that and the service he is going to get.

"I just see him fitting in really well and Jurgen Klopp very rarely buys players that don't fit into the way he wants to play. I just think he will be a great signing and he is a lot different to Mane. But you need different ways of playing and different dimensions."

Nunez clearly agrees. "There are some great players here and I think it's going to suit my style of play here," he said upon his arrival. "As I say, I've watched quite a lot and it's a very big club and I hope I can give everything that I've got in order to help the team."