Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Liverpool legend highlights specific "threat" Darwin Nunez has over Sadio Mane

mirror.co.uk, 22 June 2022, 13:57
Mane has seen his move to Bayern Munich made official ending his illustrious chapter at Liverpool, who will have to make do without him in attack but can call upon new star Darwin Nunez

After six glorious seasons at Anfield, Sadio Mane has had his departure confirmed and the Senegal international has bid farewell to the Liverpool faithful who so regularly chanted his name.

From next season onwards, Mane will don another red shirt in the form of Bayern Munich's and while his exit is certainly going to sadden the Liverpool fanbase - they can take comfort in the fact there is £100million attacker waiting in the wings to announce himself ahead of the new season in Darwin Nunez.

The 22-year-old was purchased for a club-record fee from Portuguese outfit Benfica after a stellar campaign last term that saw him bag two goals in either leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash against Liverpool, clearly capturing Jurgen Klopp's attention.

There are clear differences between the way Mane and Nunez operate, but it must be noted that the latter does also enjoy darting runs off the left flank before cutting in to deliver a decisive finish. The young Uruguayan's goal at Anfield came after a rapid dash on the left-side before opening up his body to strike with the inside of his deadly right-foot.

Reds legend John Barnes has discussed Mane's exit alongside Nunez arrival and where the two differ, telling Sky Sports: "It'll be disappointing to see him [Mane] leave as the club did all they could to keep him but they couldn't be held to ransom over paying him what he wanted.

"Liverpool have already brought in Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, so what bringing in Darwin Nunez should change is it will give Liverpool more a threat within the penalty box.

HAVE YOUR SAY!How many goals will Nunez score next season? Comment below

"We're a very good team on the counter-attack with space in behind, but every now and then when teams defend deep and in numbers, we've not had that big presence in the box which is what Nunez will give us."

Barnes' assessment of Liverpool's new forward is correct, with Nunez operating predominantly inside the penalty area. He notched 34 goals across all competitions for the Portuguese giants, with 32 of them coming inside the 18-yard box.

Better yet, 80% of Nunez' goals come from within the area between the goal-line and the penalty spot and within the width of the six-yard box. Nunez has shown more than enough potential to become one of the football's most lethal poachers.

Barnes went on to highlight how Nunez's aerial ability will also provide Liverpool with the ability to play a different kind of attacking set-up, something that wasn't possible with Mane in the side.

Top News

12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has insisted that the door is still open for Kyle Walker to continue at the Etihad should he not receive any enticing offers from elsewhere. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk With a place in the KNVB Beker quarter-final on the line, PSV Eindhoven and SBV Excelsior will lock horns at the Philips Stadion in Tuesday's round-of-16 encounter. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh off the back of clinching their first piece of silverware this season, Benfica journey to the Estadio de Sao Luis to face SC Farense in the fifth round of the Taca de Portugal on Tuesday. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen will hope to continue applying pressure to first-placed Bayern Munich when they host Mainz 05 at BayArena on Tuesday in their 17th Bundesliga game of the season. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur attacker Dejan Kulusevski is supposedly being targeted by Napoli manager Antonio Conte as a possible replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Runaway league-leaders Celtic are set to travel to the Scot Foam Stadium at Dens Park to take on Dundee this Tuesday in the Scottish Premiership. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to advance to the Coupe de France round of 16 for the second time in four years, Bastia welcome Ligue 1 side Nice to Stade Armand-Cesari in Tuesday night's round of 32 contest. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Under pressure boss Nuri Sahin needs his Borussia Dortmund side to beat Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga on Tuesday when they travel to Holstein-Stadion. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly stolen a march on Real Madrid and Arsenal in the race to sign 18-year-old Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, who is valued at around £40m by the Dutch giants. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In one of three all-Ligue 1 clashes in the Coupe de France round of 32, Marseille welcome Lille to the Stade Velodrome on Tuesday, keen to extend their unbeaten start to 2025. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Eintracht Frankfurt will hope to continue their winning start to 2025 when they welcome Freiburg to Deutsche Bank Park on Tuesday in their 17th Bundesliga match of the campaign. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolfsburg are set to host Borussia Monchengladbach at Volkswagen Arena on Tuesday in their 17th Bundesliga fixture of the season. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In an all top-flight clash in the third round of the KNVB Beker, Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar will hope to progress by beating Ajax on Tuesday at AFAS Stadion. 12 January 2025 talksport.com Barcelona have made El Clasico history after securing an emphatic 5-2 victory over Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ten-man Barcelona reclaimed the Spanish Super Cup from Real Madrid on Sunday evening courtesy of a stunning 5-2 success over their bitter rivals in the final of the 2025 competition. 12 January 2025 talksport.com Oliver Glasner is optimistic Crystal Palace will not lose Trevoh Chalobah this month. 12 January 2025 talksport.com Raphinha was at the centre of the action during a dramatic Spanish Super Cup final. 12 January 2025 talksport.com This fantastic FA Cup tie turned into a tear-up and a shootout between the competition's two most successful sides. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Raul Jimenez will be aiming to continue his excellent campaign on Tuesday evening, when the striker's Fulham outfit head to West Ham United in the Premier League. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Danny Ings is expected to make just his second Premier League start of the campaign on Tuesday evening, when West Ham United continue their top-flight season at home to an in-form Fulham outfit. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim remained coy on whether Marcus Rashford has played his last game for the Red Devils following his latest high-profile snub. 12 January 2025 talksport.com Mikel Arteta refused to directly address a social media post from Manchester United following their win over Arsenal. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reaffirmed his love and trust in the attackers at his disposal following the Gunners' excruciating penalty-shootout loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup third round. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Graham Potter's first taste of Premier League football as West Ham United manager will come on Tuesday evening, when Fulham make the trip to the London Stadium for an intriguing battle in England's top flight. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had no good news to share on the condition of Gabriel Jesus after the Brazil international was taken off on a stretcher with a knee injury in Sunday's FA Cup loss to Manchester United. 12 January 2025 talksport.com Kai Havertz's wife has condemned vile threats to the couple's unborn baby she received on social media after Arsenal's loss to Manchester United. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Watford will be aiming to recover from four straight defeats in all competitions when they continue their Championship campaign with a contest against Cardiff City in Wales on Tuesday night. 12 January 2025 talksport.com Plymouth Argyle have been rewarded for their FA Cup 'Cupset' with a home tie against Liverpool in the fourth round. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have been handed a trip to Home Park to face Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round. 12 January 2025 talksport.com Altay Bayindir and Joshua Zirkzee went from villains to heroes as they inspired Manchester United to victory over Arsenal.