Víctor Muñoz outlines 3 key Premier League aims ahead of Newcastle showdown

There has been plenty of focus on which wingers Liverpool are going to sign this summer. This is understandable, considering the Reds are preparing for a first season without Mohamed Salah for almost decade.

With only 11 days to go until the transfer window slams shut, the Reds are reportedly still chasing PSG duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, who are forecast to cost a combined £150 million, while reports on Thursday claim they had a £50 million bid rejected for Yankuba Minteh of Brighton.

However, ahead of the Reds' Premier League opener against Newcastle United at St James' Park, it should not be forgotten that they do have a new wide-attacker on their books. Back on 18 June, when the World Cup was just getting started, Liverpool confirmed they had signed Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna for €40 million, which is around £34.5 million.

The 23 year old arrives on Merseyside as a World Cup winner, albeit he did not play a single minute for Luis de la Fuente's team during the summer, having only earned his senior international debut in March. Following the World Cup Final, Muñoz was entitled to three weeks holiday, but cut this short to get up to speed and meet his new team mates.

The attacker subsequently saw the final half an hour of the friendly against Monaco, before appearing on both matches against Como last Sunday; he played 41 minutes at AXA Training Centre and 17 later in the day at Anfield. Thus, the Spaniard is in contention to start on Tyneside on Sunday, currently vying with Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha for minutes.

Speaking ahead of this Premier League opener, Muñoz reflected on his rise from obscurity to being a World Cup winner and joining Liverpool:

"Stuff's happened really, really quickly this whole year, but as a person I try to take these things in my stride and calmly... It has been an amazing year with everything that's happened... Getting the chance to represent the country at the World Cup – that was like a dream come true. "

Víctor Muñoz

The 23 year old added that signing for Liverpool means "the year's going to continue and hopefully end in a real positive way as well". Muñoz "can't wait" for the season to get started, and has outlined his objectives for the campaign ahead:

"Initial ones [aims] are to get used to the pace and the speed of the game here in England, to grow as a player and also to just try to improve with every day that goes by in training and then in games."

Víctor Muñoz

The 23 year old really has enjoyed an astronomical rise, culminating in this move, as well as scoring on his international debut for Spain against Serbia at Estadio de la Ceramica earlier this year.

Just over a year ago, he was still a Real Madrid player, a regular for their Castilla youth team, but never truly making a first team breakthrough. All four of his senior appearances for los Blancos came off the bench, including brief cameos against Al-Hilal and Pachuca during the Club World Cup. Remember that? Yes, that was a thing that happened.

Thus, very few Real Madrid fans would have even noticed when he was sold to Osasuna for €5 million. However, he enjoyed a breakout campaign in Pamplona, scoring seven goals and registering five assists as los Rojillos avoided relegation by virtue of head-to-head record on the final day.

This, as already noted, caught the eye of Spain manager de la Fuente, as well as obviously the recruitment team at Liverpool. Having said that, it was Newcastle who actually activated his €40 million release clause first, only for the Reds to hijack that deal. Well, they might just be thankful they did, because Muñoz could prove to be a key figure for Andoni Iraola.

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