Darwin Nunez is "mentally strong" enough to deal with the pressure of playing for Liverpool, according to an ex-coach of the Benfica star.
The 22-year-old has been widely linked with a transfer from Portugal to join Jurgen Klopp's Reds in the Premier League next season.
Already regarded as one of the world's most-promising young strikers, hopes are high that he can help deliver the sort of impact Erling Haaland is anticipated to at rivals Manchester City.
Leonardo Ramos, who gave the Uruguay international his debut at Penarol before his move to Europe, certainly feels Nunez is ready to back himself, adamant his previous experiences with injury problems have only strengthened his resolve.
"I think that he is more mentally strong now," Ramos told Stats Perform. "Because I can tell you that he was suffering a lot.
"[He was] suffering at the level of running and training while crying all the time, so he knows what suffering is, he knows what constant pressure is.
"At that moment, me and his representative didn't know [the injury he had] and probably we put a very big pressure on his head because his career as a footballer was at stake with all the conditions he had.
"It seems to me that, the fact that he was in Portugal and he was on a level where everyone was talking about him – because really everyone was talking about Darwin Nunez – it seems that today his head is ready for that, to withstand that pressure."
Nunez struggled with injuries during his breakthrough at Penarol, making just 15 league appearances before leaving for Almeria in 2019.
But Ramos believes the experience helped him gain an edge on team-mates, with a recovery routine that added more bulk to his physique to compliment his impressive skill set.
"Darwin ended up being what he is today, an incredible player," he reflected. "We saw him and he saw it too, and especially enhanced, because Darwin gained a lot of muscle mass in training separate from team-mates.
"He changed his physique a lot. Today, he is much more athletic, but he was already an outstanding player. He showed that when he debuted, he showed all his level."
Sheffield United go second after late turnaround, Plymouth continue good home form
Sheffield United staged a late turnaround to win 2-1 away to Bristol City and go second in the Championship, one point behind leaders Sunderland who play on Wednesday.
The game started slowly, with the hosts not opening the scoring until a 75th-minute Anis Mehmeti penalty after a foul on Sinclair Armstrong by goalkeeper Michael Cooper.
The Blades showed great character to haul themselves back into the game, with 18-year-old Ryan One scoring the equaliser in the 86th minute.
But things went up a notch in stoppage time when Robert Dickie was given a straight red card for a cynical foul on Callum O'Hare 35 yards out.
The drama wasn't finished yet and with seconds to go, Harrison Burrows smashed home a left-foot rocket to win the game for the Blades.
At the bottom of the table, Plymouth opened a four-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone with a 1-0 victory over bottom-of-the-table Portsmouth.
The victory means that Wayne Rooney's side have dropped just two points in their last five games at Home Park, having lost six on the bounce in all competitions away.
It is now four without a victory for Portsmouth, who have earned just nine points in their opening 14 matches back in the Championship.
Elsewhere, Middlesbrough responded to their 3-0 defeat at home to Coventry City last weekend by beating second-bottom Queens Park Rangers 4-1 on the road.
That was a first victory in three for Michael Carrick's side, who are one place below the play-off positions and trail only by goal difference.
QPR are four points behind fourth-bottom Preston North End, having failed to win any of their last 10 league games.
Liverpool 4-0 Leverkusen: Diaz nets second-half hat-trick to extend 100% start
Luis Diaz scored a second-half hat-trick for Liverpool in their 4-0 victory at home to Bayer Leverkusen as they maintained their 100% start to their Champions League campaign.
Arne Slot's side lead the 36-team league within Europe's main competition following the result, with only Aston Villa alongside them as the only other club to have won every game. They play Club Brugge on Wednesday in their fourth match.
Back in Liverpool, things got off to a slow start with the scores level until the 61st minute. Diaz lifted the ball over goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky to get things moving before Cody Gakpo made it two just two minutes later.
Gakpo's goal was initially ruled offside by the on-field official, though was overturned following a VAR review.
Diaz then scored his second and Liverpool's third of the night in the 83rd minute after picking up Mohamed Salah's cross and slotting past Hradecky. The Colombian rounded things off deep into stoppage time with a tap in from close range.
The result leaves Leverkusen 11th in the table with seven points, having tasted their first defeat of the competition at Anfield.
Data debrief: Slot has Liverpool purring
Liverpool are now top of both the Champions League standings and the Premier League and continue to go from strength to strength under Slot.
They looked much more threatening in the second half compared to the first, registering 3.48 xG in the second period after just 0.64 in the first half.
Diaz, meanwhile, has now scored nine goals in 15 matches in all competitions.
Al-Nassr 5-1 Al-Ain: Ronaldo on target in AFC Champions League win
Cristiano Ronaldo powered Al-Nassr to a convincing 5-1 triumph over Asian Champions League Elite holders Al-Ain on Tuesday.
The victory carried a sense of redemption for Al-Nassr as they avenged last season's semi-final defeat to the same opposition on their way to lifting a second title in the competition.
Talisca fired the hosts into a fifth minute lead with a well-taken effort from the edge of the box before Ronaldo poked home his 908th career goal just after the half-hour mark.
Visiting defender Fabio Cardoso then deflected Angelo's effort beyond Khalid Eisa to hand Al-Nassr a comfortable advantage at the interval.
Al-Ain did, however, pull one back early in the second half when Park Yong-woo's strike struck the post and went in off the back of Al-Nassr goalkeeper Bento.
But the result was put beyond doubt late on when Wesley curled home Al-Nassr's fourth, before Talisca notched his brace in second half stoppage time.
Data Debrief: Return of Ronaldo
After winning five Champions League across his glittering career, Ronaldo is now eyeing a first AFC Champions League crown with Al-Nassr.
The 39-year-old has six goals in eight appearances in the competition, with his goal against Al-Ain ending a three-game goal drought for Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo also registered a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 1.25 towards Al-Nassr's 2.67 total, while also producing more shots (eight) and touches in the opposition box (nine) than any other player on the pitch.
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