WATCH: Darwin Nunez scores first hat-trick for Liverpool in friendly against RB Leipzig 

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez opened his account for his new club by scoring a 20-minute hat-trick in a pre-season friendly against RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on Thursday (July 21).

After registering a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in Singapore on July 15, the Reds moved their pre-season camp back to Europe. The Jurgen Klopp-coached side beat RB Leipzig 5-0 in a friendly at the Red Bull Arena.

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for Liverpool in the eighth minute after finishing off a pass from Roberto Firmino.

Nunez asserted his dominance in the second half of the contest, scoring first from the penalty spot in the 48th minute. He then doubled his tally three minutes later after converting a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold. He completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute when he slid home a ground cross from Harvey Elliott.

The 23-year-old added a fourth goal to his tally in the 90th minute after curling in a right-footed shot from the left-side of the penalty box.

Earlier last month, Nunez joined the Reds from Benfica in a club-record deal worth up to £85 million, including add-ons. The Uruguayan striker, who penned a six-year deal at Anfield, netted 34 goals in 41 matches for the Primeira Liga outfit in the 2021-22 campaign.

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Alan Hutton urges people to give Darwin Nunez time to shine at new club Liverpool

Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Alan Hutton has claimed that new Liverpool signing Darwin Nunez will "prove everybody wrong" in the upcoming season. Nunez faced criticism after missing an easy goalscoring chance against Manchester United in a pre-season friendly.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton said:

"I'm just going to talk as a footballer, anything can happen. It could be tiredness, it could be a bobble on the pitch, it could be anything. It's one miss [against Manchester United]. I think what fans are thinking is [Sadio] Mane's left, they've spent a lot of money on a new striker and he's had this opportunity and blazed it over the bar."

He continued:

"It happens to everyone, it's one of those things. The real test will be when the season starts. His goalscoring record is there for everyone to see. Give him time, he's just walked through the door. There's no point in having one miss and then everybody starts jumping on the bandwagon. I don’t like that.

"Give him time to settle in, I'm sure his record stands for itself and he'll prove everybody wrong."

Nunez is expected to make his competitive debut for Liverpool in the FA Community Shield against Manchester City on July 30.