DARWIN NUNEZ gave Jurgen Klopp more reason to believe he is about to start re-paying his £85million fee.
The striker spent most of last season struggling to live up to the hype of his record arrival from Benfica.
He managed 15 goals in 42 appearances – not a terrible record – but still spent plenty of time looking stressed out as he tried to fit in.
Now the 24-year-old is beginning to look right at home.
His opener against Leicester in what became a 4-0 cruise was merely a tap-in after goalkeeper Mads Hermansen had parried a shot from Diogo Jota.
Yet it was his fourth goal in three 45-minute appearances that also include a 4-2 win over Karlsruher and the 4-4 clash with Furth before Liverpool left their German training camp for their latest warm–up in Singapore.
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What’s more, he maintained his 100 per cent record of hitting the target with every effort on goal while also adding an assist.
Klopp, before once again making wholesale changes at half-time as he had done in each of his side’s previous two friendlies, will also have been delighted by the growing influence of Alexis Mac Allister.
It was his vision and touch that enabled Jota to get his shot away at the start of an eight-minute burst that blew away Enzo Maresca’s Foxes.
The £35m Argentine World Cup winner was brought in from Brighton this summer to provide exactly the kind of precision and intelligence he displayed in finding Jota.
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The attacking midfielder, unlike Nunez, looks to have settled in immediately and promises to add a new dimension to Klopp’s side.
Liverpool struggled to contain their opponents for much of the first half-hour in Singapore’s national stadium which was barely half-full.
Maresca may be keen for comparisons with Pep Guardiola to be dropped, having last season won the Treble alongside him as his assistant manager.
But for a third of this clash Leicester played very much within the Manchester City blue-print of possession football and forced five corners in the first 23 minutes.
Kop No 2 ‘keeper Caoimhin Kelleher also made a fine one–on–block to deny Wilfred Ndidi.
Klopp’s men, with Trent Alexander-Arnold again featuring in his new hybrid role of right back and holding midfielder, stepped on the gas following Nunez’ strike.
Mo Salah set up 18-year-old midfield prospect Bobby Clark to smack home a 22-yard shot before Jota headed in from the Egyptian star’s cross.
Ben Doak added to the sense that he is a superstar in the making with another promising display.
The diminutive Scottish right winger, 17, even rounded off the scoring in Klopp’s second-half team…with a clever header.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
