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Former West Ham United player Frank McAvennie has backed Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz to shine at Liverpool, claiming the pair could help the club 'forget' Sadio Mane.
In six seasons with the Reds, Mane won the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, bagging 120 goals and 48 assists in 269 appearances across competitions. The 30-year-old has now moved to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, penning a three-year deal.
Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie lauded Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's new signings. He said:
"Klopp’s not beating about. He brought in Diaz who’s magnificent. He’s brought Nunez in now, who’s a top striker. Hopefully, the boy can hit the ground running, score goals and make them forget about Mane."
He added:
"But what can you say about Mane? He scored all these great goals, and he’s so grounded. He was going into the last year of his contract. that’s why he went for £35million. If he wasn’t, it would have been an awful lot more than that."
McAvennie continued:
"It’s great for German football because he’s a great addition to any team. He’s been a breath of fresh air to the English game, and that’s what you want. I think the Liverpool supporters will applaud him, and he’ll get a great reception if he comes back to Anfield."
Earlier, the Reds signed Nunez, who registered 34 goals in 41 games for Primeira Liga giants Benfica last season, in a club-record deal worth up to £85 million, per Sky Sports. Diaz, who produced six goals and five assists last season, arrived at Anfield from Porto in January for an initial fee of £37 million.
Liverpool in hunt for new midfielder
Last season, the Reds failed to win the Premier League title by a single point and lost in the UEFA Champions League final to Real Madrid by a solitary goal. Since then, the Merseyside club have been quite active this summer transfer window.
After acquiring the services of Nunez, Liverpool also signed Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsay. Earlier in May, the Premier League club agreed a potential deal of £7.7 million for attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho from Fulham.
According to The Mirror (via Daily Express), the Reds are expected to launch a £34 million bid for versatile Porto midfielder Otavio. Meanwhile, they are also willing to rope in Inter Milan playmaker Nicolo Barella by using Naby Keita as an exchange option, as per Calciomercato (via HITC).
Liverpool were also linked with a move for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare earlier this month (Voetbal Internationalvia Daily Express). Last month, the club were monitoring the situation of Aurelien Tchouameni before the midfielder joined La Liga giants Real Madrid.
