Darwin Nunez wasn’t pictured as Liverpool wished their fans a merry Christmas from the AXA Training Centre today.
The Reds took to Twitter to post a snap of the squad in Santa hats during this morning’s Christmas Eve session.
Concerningly, there was no sign of Nunez amongst the smiling faces. Injured stars Luis Diaz, Arthur Melo, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino were also omitted from the photo – something that will perhaps only add to supporter’s worries over Nunez.
Pleasingly, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold were present. Both players didn’t make Thursday’s squad to face Manchester City, but should be ready for Monday’s clash with Aston Villa.
Where is Darwin Nunez?
Of course, this could be nothing at all. But in these days of social media, it hasn’t taken long for worry to mount over the reason behind Nunez’s absence.
Funnily enough, the man himself had an update for his half a million Twitter followers this morning, too.
“What a sunny day it is today in Liverpool,” Nunez posted. The £64m man then shared a picture which suggested he was either driving, or being driven somewhere.
Shared at around 10.30 this morning, Darwin obviously wasn’t anywhere around the AXA Training Centre.
It wouldn’t do anyone much good to speculate on the reason behind Liverpool’s No.27 failing to report for training. He looked healthy enough on Thursday, playing the full 90 minutes of the 3-2 loss against City.
If he were injured, it doesn’t seem particularly likely that he’d be heading anywhere any time soon. Instead, it’s most likely that Nunez has simply been afforded a day off, having not had much of a break since the World Cup.
The 23-year-old has a young family, and has perhaps been given a little time to spend with them, as he continues to settle in.
The alternative isn’t really worth thinking about at this point. With Jota, Diaz and now Firmino all currently missing, Liverpool’s season now really rests on the shoulders of Nunez and Mohamed Salah. A little clarity on this is needed before the Reds head to Villa Park on Monday.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
