UCL: Rio Ferdinand gives verdict on Liverpool’s £85m striker after latest miss

Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand has insisted that Darwin Nunez will be an ‘effective striker’ for Liverpool.

This is despite another mixed performance from the Uruguayan signed for £85m last summer.

Nunez returned to the Reds team after recovering from injury and had a golden opportunity to double Liverpool’s lead but watched his effort hit the post with an open goal in front of him.

He, however, managed to find the back of the net shortly after half-time.

Ferdinand told BT Sport “There were good and bad moments for him.

“He had a bit of an indifferent night. There’s moments with him where you’re just scratching your head but then he scored which is what you’ve bought him for.

“The thing with him is he always tries to get in the box and score goals, his head never drops, he’s tenacious, he wants to graft and fight. That’s definitely a plus, you want that on your side.

“He’s never going to be the cleanest of strikers but he will be an effective striker in the long run, an effective striker who scores goals at this football club.

“As a defender, he would be hard to play against, he would give a lot of defenders a hard days’ work.”