Rafa Benitez coached Fernando Torres at Liverpool from 2007-2010 at the Spaniard sees certain similarities between Torres and Liverpool’s Uraguayan striker Darwin Nunez.
Benitez spoke to Sky Sports ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League knockout tie with Real Madrid this week gave his thoughts on Nunez’s debut season at Anfield.
“I will tell you my feeling. You are watching the game and saying great runs, not that great finisher, don’t be worried. As a manager, you are really worried because you can see him in front of the keeper all of the time, and he can do that.”
“He has the pace to run in behind, and he is a threat. After he will score more or less goals, but he is a threat, so for you as a manager it is someone you have to worry about and talk with your defenders about that. He is a threat.”
“Fernando, one of the issues at the beginning was that – he was not a great finisher. Little by little, because he was in front of the ‘keeper so many times, he could have more time and more composure, I would put the ball here or there but at the beginning, he was great as a player, but here in England, because the defenders are wider and stronger, in the space he was killing them and having more chances.”
Benitez has no doubt that Nunez will be successful in the Premier League due to the volume of chances he creates for himself with his movement and pace.
Torres went on to score 81 goals for Liverpool in 142 appearances for the Reds.
