Darwin Nunez arrived at Liverpool with little ability to speak English, but his dedication to learn has been praised as his team-mates can now enjoy conversations with him.
Nunez’s adaptation to the team was not linear, with Jurgen Klopp readily noting that he was a “long-term project” throughout his debut campaign last year.
One of the biggest he hurdles he needed to overcome was learning English, with the manager saying last April: “His English is still not great, if not existing at all. We are working on that, massively.”
It has been almost a year since Klopp made those remarks, and we have seen glimpses of Nunez’s English in different clips that have surfaced, and now Harvey Elliott has noted the improvement.
“I think the whole world can see now. It’s hard for him to come from a different country first and foremost, but to a country where he doesn’t know the language, he couldn’t speak it,” Elliott told the club’s website.
“Now he has taken the responsibility of learning English and you can have a conversation with him now, which is nice.
“It’s just all credit to him. He’s going to kick on now and he’s going to show the world, that’s for sure.”
It is a significant development for Nunez, who was previously unable to communicate effectively with the manager and his team-mates, though it must be said learning a new language is far from easy.
It can be easy to forget the changes a player needs to make when they move to a different club, in a different country with a culture they have not experienced before.
Not to mention the stuff on the pitch!
The No. 9 has been a huge talking point throughout the season, with the forward’s 12 goals and 11 assists ensuring many view him as a player who must start more often than he doesn’t.
So far, he is doing just that having started 22 of his 36 outings this season, and Elliott is one of many who have been happy to watch his progress on and off the pitch.
“It’s just all credit to him, he’s an amazing player and he really helps us out in moments,” Elliott added. “He has scored some very important goals for us this season and since he’s joined.
“For us, to have him someone like him where you know where he’s going to be; he doesn’t complain, some games he doesn’t score, but he puts 110 percent effort in. That’s all we can ask of him.
“He’s going from step to step to step now, and for him we’re all very happy.”
