Darwin Nunez Luis SuarezGetty

Revealed: Suarez's message to Liverpool's £64m signing Darwin Nunez as he tells him exactly what he has to do

Darwin Nunez has the full support of Luis Suarez as he looks to become the latest Uruguayan striker sensation at Liverpool, with a South American star from the Reds’ recent past hoping to see a fellow countryman eclipse his goal-scoring exploits at Anfield.

With questions being asked of how long Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will be sticking around on Merseyside, Premier League heavyweights have been busy bolstering their ranks in the final third of the field.

Colombian winger Luis Diaz was snapped up in January, while £64 million ($79m) has been invested in Nunez as Jurgen Klopp seeks to bring even more firepower into his squad – with the latest addition at Liverpool hoping to follow in illustrious footsteps.

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Can Nunez emulate Suarez’s efforts for Liverpool?

The Reds signed Suarez from Ajax during the January transfer window of 2011 and saw him register 82 goals for the club through 133 appearances, while also claiming the prestigious PFA Player of the Year award.

Nunez is hoping to make a similar impact at Anfield and has seen that cause backed by an iconic compatriot.

After posting an image on social media that was tagged “Forever Uruguayan”, Liverpool’s newest frontman received the following response from Suarez: “I was the first one too! But I hope you come first in GOALS. Hug!!”

Luis Suarez Darwin NunezTwitter

Nunez went on to add during his exchange with Suarez: “I am proud to follow in your footsteps. I hope I can perform like you did in Liverpool.”

Why did Liverpool sign Nunez?

The Reds moved quickly to get a deal in place this summer after seeing Nunez hit 34 goals for Benfica across all competitions last season.

Those efforts had seen him register on recruitment radars across Europe, with Manchester United one of his many suitors.

Liverpool have left arch-rivals in the Premier League empty-handed, while Suarez has revealed that he once urged Barcelona to make a move for a highly-rated international colleague – only to see those pleas fall on deaf ears.

Suarez, who is a free agent after reaching the end of his contract at Atletico Madrid, has said of efforts to get Nunez in at Camp Nou: “I recommended Darwin to Barcelona when he was at Almeria. I have 15 years of international experience. I know a thing or two about forwards.

“I told them, ‘Pay attention to this one, he’s very good, he shows interesting things’. They told me he was at Almeria and that he was too young. But instead of paying now €80m, €90m or €100m, they would’ve paid €15m or €20m and have him there as a substitute.”

Nunez is now preparing to make his bow for Liverpool in 2022-23, with the Reds learning that they will open their new domestic campaign away at newly-promoted Fulham on August 6.

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