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Jurgen Klopp has hinted that Darwin Nunez could operate in a different position after making his Liverpool debut against Manchester United in Thailand.
Nunez arrived from Benfica earlier this summer in a move that could rise to £85 million with performance related add-ons.
The 23-year-old is expected to fill the void left by Sadio Mane, who departed Anfield for Bayern Munich in this window, in a deal worth £35 million.
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Liverpool kicked off their pre-season tour in Asia with a 4-0 defeat to North West rivals Manchester United in the Bangkok Century Cup in Thailand yesterday.
Nunez played the final half-hour in this thrashing and experienced a mixed debut.
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The Uruguayan was clearly not fully fit- something Klopp eluded to in his post match interview- and missed two clear cut opportunities to claw a consolation back for the Reds.
One of these chances he blazed well over the bar from very close range, an atypical miss from a player who scored 26 times last season in the Primeira Liga.
After the game, Klopp suggested that the striker could be used in another area of the pitch aside from his favoured central number nine role.
The German boss told the Liverpool Echo: “He is a number nine who can play on the wing as well.
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“We will see where he plays."
“But what you could see is the boys were already searching for him. It was his third session (since arriving for pre-season training) and I think after the third sprint his lungs were ready to explode."
We nearly killed him with these balls but he offered the runs and the boys wanted to pass the ball, that is for sure one of his strengths. He was dangerous.
“His profile is a proper number nine so that’s helpful with speed and aggression and using his body”.
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With this last line, It’s clear that Klopp sees Nunez as a number nine.
However, with his role essentially to fill Mane’s boots, minutes out wide may be given to him and he could develop certain skills there that’ll be useful for his future down the middle.
Topics: Liverpool, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours, Jurgen Klopp