"I told you bro" - Darwin Nunez's former teammate proven right after Liverpool win's against Manchester City in the Community Shield

According to Liverpool Echo, former English footballer Darren Bent received a message from Darwin Nunez' former teammate Adel Taarabt immediately after the Liverpool striker scored on debut.

Nunez became Liverpool's club-record signing this summer, joining them from SL Benfica for a reported £85 million, including add-ons. The Uruguay international scored 34 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions for Benfica last season.

He enjoyed a mixed start to the pre-season friendlies. While he missed several chances on one end, he also made up for it in other matches, even scoring four in one game.

Up against Manchester City in the FA Community Shield on July 30, Nunez was brought on as a second-half substitute in place of Roberto Firmino. He made an instant impact by winning a penalty for the Reds a few minutes later.

Nunez capped off his performance with a late goal as well, following which Bent received a message from Taarabt.

The former Tottenham Hotspur player said:

“There was a lot of criticism pre-season, but his movement and how sharp he is; wow. The first time when he opened up and went to dink Ederson, that’s when I thought ‘oh my goodness'. It’s funny because when he scored, the first person who messaged me 10 seconds later was Adel Taarabt, his former teammate. He said ‘I told you bro, he will score goals’.”

Liverpool won the match 3-1 at the King Power Stadium to earn their first silverware of the new season.

Liverpool striker Nunez is expected to headline the rivalry against City forward Erling Haaland

Nunez is not the only new big-money forward in town. Premier League rivals City made a statement of their own by signing Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund for a deal worth £85.5 million.

The Norwegian striker came up empty against the Reds last Saturday but few will bet against him scoring frequently in the league. He has scored 85 goals in 88 games for Dortmund and City will hope for him to build on that record at the Etihad Stadium.

Along with Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-min, Nunez and Haaland will also be expected to compete for the Golden Boot trophy in the Premier League.