Luis Diaz says he and Darwin Nunez have become especially close friends during their time at Liverpool so far.
The two South Americans arrived within six months of each other in 2022. And despite joining from other sides of the Porto/Benfica rivalry in Portugal, Diaz says they’ve really hit it off at Anfield.
“Yes, absolutely. Right now, we are really close,” he told liverpoolfc.com when asked about Nunez. “We spend almost every second together from the moment we get into training to the minute we leave! It’s really cool having him as a teammate now and I’m really proud to be playing alongside him because I know just how good a player he is, and his ability and quality offers us so much as a team.
“We’ve chatted about big Porto-Benfica games where we’ve played against each other. They were always amazing encounters. It was always like a final when those two sides played each other. Everybody gave it absolutely everything and it was fantastic. We joked around about games and situations in games.
“It was fun, but now, having him on my side, it’s just amazing because I know very well just what qualities he can bring to the party and I know he’s going to contribute massively.”
Liverpool adding more South American flair
It’s great to see how Diaz and Nunez have connected since arriving at Anfield. Prior to Lucho’s injury in October, there were real signs that an on-pitch partnership was starting to develop nicely, too.
Obviously, progress on that front was halted by the six months Diaz spent on the treatment table. Since the Colombian’s return, he and Nunez are also yet to start a match together. But when they do get the chance to link up, you expect there’ll be fireworks.
Both fiery characters on the pitch, they’ll hopefully feed off the energy from one another to drive Liverpool forwards.
If reports are to be believed, the Reds could soon be adding yet another South American from a Portuguese side to the mix. Not satisfied with plucking top players from Porto and Benfica, Liverpool are claimed to be preparing a move for Sporting’s Manuel Ugarte.
An international teammate of Nunez’s with Uruguay, Ugarte appears to be another slightly tempestuous sort.
As far as we’re concerned, the more the merrier. With Alexis Mac Allister another potential South American arrival and Moises Caicedo possibly on the docket too, Anfield is getting a distinctly Latino flavour.