The Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer Alan Shearer has backed Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez to have a long and successful career in English football.

Speaking on the BBC about the Uruguayan’s performance against Southampton after the 3-1 win on Saturday, Shearer said the striker has all the attributes to consistently score goals in the Premier League:

“He’s just starting to find his feet. Seven goals and one assist in his last ten. He had the freedom today, used that pace and experience, whipped a great ball in [to Mohamed Salah], should be in the back of the net. [He] got his goal, it was a lovely ball from Harvey Elliott, the weight of pass is fantastic, but he sticks it away really well. He’s not just happy to admire his passes, look at the way he wants to get on the end of [the move] there and get into the box. The ability to set [Roberto] Firmino up with a little back flick, and again a real appreciation of where his teammates are. He was a constant threat, he’ll be around for a while and score lots of goals, I’ve no doubt about that.”

Nunez was very impressive as he bagged a brace against the Saints. As Shearer mentioned, the 23-year-old is in excellent form at the moment and he has seemingly gotten over the nerves that hampered him earlier in the season.

He is is still very much a raw talent but his excellent finishing, combined with his ability to link up with his teammates, suggests he will turn out to be a good purchase for Liverpool. That was not a foregone conclusion when he first arrived at Anfield, when some questioned the sizeable fee paid to bring him in from Benfica, but it appears he could end up justifying his price tag.