Times are tough for Darwin Núñez on the banks of the Mersey. While Arne Slot couldn’t have dreamed of a better start at the helm of Liverpool, winning his first three games without conceding a single goal, respectively against Ipswich (2-0), Brentford (2-0) and Manchester United (3-0) – becoming the first manager in the history of the Reds to win his first three league games – the Uruguayan striker, for his part, is eating his black bread. And for good reason, the former Benfica striker has watched Liverpool’s repeated successes from the bench, and this, since the Dutch coach took over from Jürgen Klopp.
At the start of the season, the Artigas native has had to make do with little time. Downgraded in the attacking hierarchy as Diogo Jota was preferred to him to occupy the number 9 position surrounded by Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz, Darwin Núñez only played 18 minutes against Brentford and 14 minutes against Manchester United, a total of 32 minutes in two appearances in the Premier League. A situation that is as worrying as it is surprising given his status last year. Nurtured by Jürgen Klopp after a first season of adaptation during which the Uruguayan international had not really convinced, Darwin Núñez had rectified the situation by becoming a potential starter for the German technician (33 starts in all competitions).
A heavy sanction with Uruguay which comes at the worst possible time…
With a whopping 18 goals scored for 13 assists over the entire 2023-2024 season, Darwin Núñez seemed to have finally found his feet in the UK despite the Uruguayan’s clumsiness, which is still present and a source of mockery. But the arrival of Arne Slot in Liverpool has fundamentally changed the situation for the current number 9 of the Reds, who has not scored in a Liverpool jersey since April 4, 2024, during a Premier League match against Sheffield won by Jürgen Klopp’s gang. During the summer transfer window, rumors circulated in the British press about him and there was even talk, for a time, of sacrificing the 25-year-old striker if the English club were to force the services of Ollie Watkins.
From then on, one could think that the international break came at the right time for Darwin Núñez, with a view to relaunching himself in the national team and changing Arne Slot’s mind. It is clear that the main person concerned will have to be patient since he is not in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad that will play the qualifiers for the 2025 World Cup against Paraguay and Venezuela, on September 7 and 11. The reason? During the semi-final of the Copa América 2024 between Colombia and Uruguay, Darwin Núñez was involved in a brawl in the stands at the final whistle. Although the Celeste striker defended himself by claiming that he had intervened to protect his loved ones, CONMEBOL ended up investigating and handing down a 5-match suspension with his national team and a fine of $20,000 (around €18,000) to the Reds striker. If he was hoping to make a comeback under the Uruguayan banner, Darwin Núñez was unsuccessful…
