Munoz reveals Premier League physicality shock after £34.5m Liverpool move

Victor Munoz has confessed that the relentless physicality of the Premier League has been the biggest surprise of his Liverpool career since completing a £34.5 million move to Anfield. The Spain international made the admission in an interview with Spanish publication AS as Liverpool enter a three-week international break ahead of their next Premier League fixture against Manchester City.

“The level of play in England is extremely high,” Munoz told AS. “Every match is different and any opponent can seriously hurt you. Games are decided by the smallest details and winning isn’t easy.”

The midfielder, who was thrown straight into action away at Newcastle at the start of the campaign, drew a sharp contrast between the English and Spanish top flights. “What has surprised me most, by far, is the physical level of all the teams,” he said. “In Spain, the game is more positional and tactical, whilst here it’s constant back-and-forth. The matches are much crazier and all the teams have very physically powerful players.”

Despite the culture shock, Munoz has made a positive early impression under head coach Andoni Iraola, who is himself still finding his feet in his first weeks in charge at Anfield. The break gives Iraola a rare opportunity to take stock, with several new signings still settling into life on Merseyside.

Elsewhere, former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has issued a direct challenge to Alexis Mac Allister, insisting the Argentine must let his performances do the talking if he wants to secure a new contract. Mac Allister publicly expressed frustration earlier this month at not receiving an extension, even as midfield partners Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai signed fresh terms.

The 27-year-old has since responded with strong showings against Atletico Madrid and Tottenham, and Heskey — who represented Liverpool between 2000 and 2004 — acknowledged the upturn in form while maintaining that more consistency is required.

“Alexis Mac Allister has had to step up on the pitch because it wasn’t great before that,” Heskey said. “You can talk, but you’ve got to put some action in play as well. He’s a fantastically talented player, we’ve seen it, but we didn’t get to see it last season at Liverpool. We saw it at the World Cup but for Liverpool we didn’t see it.”

Liverpool’s next Premier League outing comes in mid-October, when Manchester City visit Anfield. Among those heading off on international duty during the break is teenager Rio Ngumoha, who has been called into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.