Liverpool transfer watch as Darwin Nunez scores on his debut for his new club shortly after his Anfield exit
Darwin Núñez of Liverpool during a pre-season training
Darwin Nunez has left Liverpool(Image: Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Darwin Nunez scored his first goal for new club Al-Hilal only one day after his Liverpool exit was confirmed. The striker emerged as a second-half substitute to make his debut for Simone Inzaghi's side then finished the scoring in a comfortable 6-0 pre-season victory over Swiss opponents Aarau.
After three years as a Liverpool player, Nunez completed a £46m move to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The Reds had paid an initial £64m to bring the striker from Benfica to Anfield in the summer of 2022.
In his time on Merseyside he scored 40 goals in 143 appearances, won the Carabao Cup with Jurgen Klopp and most recently the Premier League with Arne Slot.
Having featured for the Reds in pre-season, Nunez has been able to go straight into Al-Hilal's match-playing squad on their pre-season tour in Europe.
His new manager, Inzaghi, chose to introduce the 26-year-old after the half-time break of their latest friendly vs Aarau on Sunday evening. In he 87th minute, Nunez was played towards goal from the right flank, he took a touch and fired across goal to finish the match's scoring at 6-0.
The strike was taken similarly to the brace he netted at St. James' Park in August 2023, which helped Liverpool come back from a goal down to beat Newcastle United with 10 men.
Al-Hilal celebrated their debutant with an Instagram post, captioned: "A first glimpse of Nunez with the team [star eyes emoji, blue heart emoji]."
The post has been liked by almost 130,000 users on the platform, including Nunez himself and now-former Liverpool teammates Kostas Tsimikas and Rio Ngumoha. Fellow Uruguayan and ex-Red Luis Suarez also liked the post in support of his compatriot.
Nunez said an emotional farewell to Liverpool in a own social media entry. It read: "Thank you, Liverpool. Three years on, it's time to say goodbye.
"I'll take with me countless memories that will live with me forever. I leave with a full heart, thanks to the love of a crowd that never let me down and always had my back - through the highs and through the lows.
"Liverpool will always be part of who I am. I'll miss you more than words can say. To all the staff and my teammates - thank you, and all the very best for the future. YNWA."
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