Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri is happy to see his Uruguay team-mate Darwin Nunez ‘silence the criticism’ at Premier League rivals Liverpool.
Former team-mates at Penarol back home in Uruguay, the two South American imports found themselves reunited in England’s north west, only a few miles of motorway separating Facundo Pellistri’s Manchester United and Darwin Nunez’s Liverpool.
And while Pellistri will hardly be cheering on Jurgen Klopp’s side in their Premier League title charge, the winger is glad to see his compatriot keep those critics quiet with a sudden flurry of goals.
Nunez had five goals in four games before Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City, netting two stunners against Sparta Prague in the UEFA Europa League. Whisper it, but football’s Mr Chaos may be on his way to becoming Mr Consistent.
Darwin Nunez in the best form of his Liverpool career
“I have known Darwin since he was very young because we met in the Tercera de Penarol (academy), and before that I already saw him in club training in the higher categories,” Pellistri tells ESPN.
“Today, I see him happy, and that is what makes me happy.”
Nunez now has 16 goals and 12 assists this season, his second at Anfield. Pellistri is not surprised to see the much-mocked centre-forward prove his doubters wrong, having spent much of his career ‘unfairly burdened’ by heavy expectations.
“He has always performed everywhere he played,” adds Pellistri, who is currently on loan at La Liga strugglers Granada. “But he has always been unfairly burdened with a backpack, even when he was performing.
The standards they set for him were always very high, like the comparison with Luis Suarez in the national team.
“For me, he is a great (number) nine. He has an incredible future. But, regardless of that, today I see him enjoying himself, something that is not easy in the day-to-day life of a footballer. He silenced the criticism with performances and goals, and today he is happy in the place he occupies.”
Nunez has already exceeded his tally from the entirety of his debut season at Liverpool. He can move that little bit closer to the 20-goal mark when Klopp’s side face Sparta in the second-leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, hosting the Czech giants on Merseyside after a 5-1 win in Prague.
Nunez’s Liverpool then face Pellistri’s parent club in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday at Old Trafford.
