Sadio Mané left Liverpool earlier in the transfer window after 6 very successful seasons on Merseyside, but Roy Keane doesn’t think Reds fans will miss him too much.
Speaking on ITV after Liverpool’s 3-1 Community Shield triumph over Manchester City, Keane reflected on Darwin Nuñez’s performance.
The Irishman suggested for a new striker like Nuñez “it’s about getting that first goal under belt" and that Nuñez is now “up and running."
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Keane took a brutal swipe at former Liverpool forward Sadio Mané asking, “Who’s that, Mané?”
He clearly felt refreshed to see a new forward at Liverpool, marvelling at the “hungry” nature of Darwin Nuñez’s cameo after coming on as a second half substitute.
Nuñez definitely pleasantly surprised a number of Liverpool fans on Saturday who are yet to be convinced by their club’s decision to splash up to £85 million on the Uruguayan.
The 23-year-old forced Ruben Dias into conceding the match winning penalty in addition to grabbing an injury time goal for himself.
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It was a fantastic introduction to English football for the forward, and now debate will be rife over whether he should start against Fulham next week in the Reds’ Premier League season opener.
On Saturday, the trusted Roberto Firmino started in the centre-forward position for Liverpool.
But for as long as Nuñez keeps performing as he did during his stint on Saturday, it’ll be difficult for Jürgen Klopp to keep the Uruguayan on the bench.
After scoring against City, Nuñez will be in the groove. The Uruguayan will be able to play with more confidence and feel less pressure.
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It’s important Liverpool fans don’t get ahead of themselves as Roy Keane perhaps did in his post-match reaction to Liverpool’s Community Shield win.
But they can certainly be quietly content with Nuñez’s start to Liverpool life.
Topics: Roy Keane, Liverpool, Sadio Mane
Robert Worthington