Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United scouts were in attendance to watch Benfica ace Darwin Nunez rough up Liverpool in the UCL
According to the Express, Manchester United scouts were in attendance at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica last night to watch Benfica striker Darwin Nunez take on Liverpool in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
The 22-year-old definitely gave the scouts something to take home as he scored in the second half to halve the deficit against the Reds. He would eventually find himself on the losing side as Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners to head back to Anfield for the return leg in a very comfortable position.
The Eagles ace was left at the back post to finish past Alisson courtesy of a low Rafa Silva cross that Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate made a complete mess of to allow Benfica to claw themselves back in the game. Luckily for the Frenchman, it did not affect the end result for the Reds too much.
Sources from Portugal suggest that aside from United, other clubs like Manchester City, West Ham, Newcastle United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur also sent scouts to watch Nunez in action last night.
Multiple scouting reports
It is not the first time that the Red Devils have watched Nunez up close, with the Manchester side said to have scouted him over ten times this season alone as the club looks to identify targets that can beef up their attacking options next term.
The English giants also sent representatives to Lisbon back in September to watch Nunez score twice in the rampant 3-0 demolition of Barcelona, when Liverpool scouts were also in attendance to watch the Uruguayan player in action. Evidently, the striker seems to put on a show for those watching him closely, perhaps to send a message to other clubs about his ability.
The Old Trafford outfit are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements next season, given how poor their goalscorers have been this term. Despite boasting names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, and Marcus Rashford in the squad, goals have come in short supply.
With Ronaldo and Cavani both in their late 30s and a waning Rashford in their midst, a younger and more effective replacement up front is what we need next campaign to fire us to titles once again. In Nunez, we seem to be getting exactly what we desire.
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Questions will arise about whether the striker can replicate his form in Portugal while playing in the Premier League, given how fast-paced and intense the top-flight in England can be. However, up against one of the best from the PL in Liverpool, Nunez looked comfortable and ready to take on the fight.
His goal was the cherry on top of a hard-working performance, and the scouts in attendance will be keen on adding those qualities of his in their reports. Only time will tell whether these scouting missions we have sent our representatives on to watch Nunez will eventually end in a transfer move in the summer.
