Darwin Nunez may have received a club-record transfer fee from Liverpool, but Virgil van Dijk feels he is now beginning to live up to his promise.
The Uruguayan had a difficult time adjusting to life at Anfield, and despite scoring 16 goals, there was still a sense that he had underperformed.
With Mohamed Salah on the bench, he assumed responsibility for the team’s equalizing penalty in their final 3-1 Europa League triumph over LASK in Austria. He has already made a huge contribution this season, scoring two late goals as a replacement to defeat Newcastle.
Nunez has contributed three goals and two assists so far this season, but his overall impact has been noticed well beyond that.
The Uruguayan, who had previously wasted a few chances but had been denied a goal by Tobias Lawal’s superb point-blank stop in the first half, also contributed to the second goal with his hold-up play on the halfway line.
The 24-year-old is becoming the striker Liverpool hoped for when they paid Benfica an initial £64 million, which could increase to £85 million, last summer, according to the club’s captain.
“Whether you begin or not, everyone has a part to play”, according to van Dijk. “Everyone has finally recognized his ability and qualities.
“Darwin’s goal against LASK was significant. May it endure for a very long time and also for the other lads.
“The competition is strong up front. It’s encouraging to see how hard they all have to push one another”.
One of the “other boys” was Ben Doak, who at the age of 17 years and 314 days became Liverpool’s fourth-youngest European player with his debut.
The young Scot was given a chance to play in Salah’s right wing position and displayed flashes of talent despite being afforded few chances during the team’s terrible first-half performance.
“It was a big night for him,” Van Dijk continued. “He could have set up at least two goals in the first half by getting past his man like no one was there, but sadly no one was on the receiving end. It was never going to be easy because the field was difficult.
“I’m happy for him, and I’m also looking forward to the future with him.
“If you pay close attention, you can tell from the past several weeks that this is a great group to be a part of.
“We have a large number of talented young players who are taking on new responsibilities and enjoying them.
“However, football is ultimately about outcomes. Everyone wants to play their best every single time, but sometimes you have to find a way, as we did at Wolves (coming back from surrendering the opening goal once more to win 3-1).
“On Thursday, it was after we gave up a set-piece, we demonstrated that we maintained our composure and also found a solution.”