'Nunez made my life hard in the Champions League - I'm happy he's now in our shirt!'

News'Nunez made my life hard in the Champions League - I'm happy he's now in our shirt!'

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By Glenn Price in Singapore

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Joel Matip expressed relief he'll no longer have to face summer arrival Darwin Nunez as an opponent again.

The Uruguayan striker has added to Liverpool's attacking options for the forthcoming season, having scored for Benfica in both of his Champions League duels against Jürgen Klopp's side in 2021-22.

Matip directly came up against the Reds' new No.27 at Anfield in April's 3-3 draw, during which he repeatedly displayed the qualities he'll bring to the Premier League.

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Behind the scenes of Reds' opening pre-season fixture

"He made my life quite hard," Matip said of Nunez, who made his debut in Tuesday's friendly with Manchester United in Bangkok. "So I'm really happy that he's wearing our shirt.

"A lot of quality and I'm looking forward to seeing him scoring goals for us.

"I think it's a different kind of speciality – physically, speed. And he will score goals, I'm absolutely sure.

"He will just give us an extra power player to really go for everything."

At the other end of the pitch, the club’s summer business also included tying down Joe Gomez to a new long-term contract.

Reacting to the news, Matip commented: "Over the years he did a brilliant job. He's a brilliant person and I'm really happy. I'm also happy to have him a few more years alongside me.

"Of course we play for Liverpool and [having competition] should not be different. And with the amount of games we have, we will need everybody."

Matip was speaking to Liverpoolfc.com immediately after the squad's first training session in Singapore, having arrived from Thailand's capital on Wednesday afternoon.

Klopp's men conclude their pre-season tour of Asia with a friendly against Crystal Palace on Friday – a game you can watch live on LFCTV GO.

The No.32 finished: "We had a great welcome at the airport and then a nice session with a lot of running with some balls. We are looking forward to the time here.

"I think we work quite hard and that's what pre-season is for."

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