Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui has hailed reported Liverpool target Matheus Nunes as being a ‘complete’ player.
Liverpool are preparing to come face-to-face with Nunes for the fourth time this season as they take on Wolves this evening. And in quotes from Birmingham Live ahead of tonight’s game, Lopetegui was asked about Matheus’ future.
“I don’t think about the future of the players. The future of the players is to be able to play today. After, we will see. The most important thing is to think about the next match, nothing more,” replied the Spanish coach.
“It’s a good thing to have versatile midfielders. He [Nunes] is a complete player and he has different demands. Physically he is a strong player, technically too, and he is getting used to it. Sometimes he plays inside, sometimes outside, but he can help us and we are happy with him.”
Liverpool have been continuously linked with a move for the 24-year-old even before he arrived in England last summer.
Liverpool given another chance to watch Nunes
If Liverpool really are scouting Nunes, and it seems as though they are, they’ve had plenty of chances to see him up close. Remarkably, tonight will be the fourth time the Reds have faced Wolves since the turn of the year.
The former Sporting midfielder hasn’t been a key man in all of those games, playing the full game only once. But in the one he did start, Liverpool lost 3-0.
They also saw him in all his glory at Anfield back in January. Although he barely played half an hour that day, he came off the bench to show Liverpool’s midfield up at Anfield.
Tonight gives Matheus another chance to put himself at the front of Jurgen Klopp’s mind for the Reds’ summer rebuild. Given the importance of the game, it’s likely that he’ll start.
Put in a good performance, and whispers of Liverpool’s interest will no doubt continue to grow. They’re already relatively loud as it is. As of now, Nunes appears to be one of Klopp’s most likely signings ahead of next season.
As Lopetegui alludes to, he’s exactly what Liverpool could do with in midfield right now. Full of legs, technically good and versatile, he could be what the Reds have been missing since Gini Wijnaldum departed in 2021. Hopefully we don’t see too much of that tonight, though!