Darwin Nunez wasn’t pictured in Liverpool training on Wednesday as he was carrying out media duties instead.
There were some concerns from the latest batch of training photos released yesterday, as Nunez wasn’t seen out on the pitches with his teammates.
But according to the Liverpool Echo, the Uruguayan’s absence was nothing to worry about. The claim that club sources have ‘played down’ any suggestion that Nunez may be injured.
The 24-year-old is claimed to have been present at the AXA Training Centre, but was speaking to the media instead.
Quite why Nunez was tasked with these duties while the rest of the Liverpool players trained is unclear. However, the Echo insist that there is ‘no suggestion’ that the Reds’ No.9 will miss Sunday’s Premier League opener with Chelsea.
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Nunez misses Liverpool training
It would be a huge shame if Nunez ended up having to miss the early part of the season. He’s been excellent during pre-season and looks sharp and settled heading into his second campaign at Liverpool.
It’s true that the Uruguay international may not be in Jurgen Klopp’s plans to start the game on Sunday. But he can certainly do some damage in however many minutes he plays.
If Liverpool aren’t able to call on him at some point at Stamford Bridge, then they’ll be worse off for it.
To a wider point though, it would be a continuation of a slightly worrying trend for Nunez. The former Benfica man had some difficulties during his maiden season at Liverpool, but that wasn’t helped at times by a lack of availability.
Having played 42 times he still managed to get on the pitch plenty. But there were moments throughout the season where Nunez seemed to be picking up knock after knock.
The £64m striker would play a handful of games, do well, then go down with a knock. He’d only ever miss a game or two at a time, but Darwin needs to get a little more robust if he’s to force his way into Liverpool’s best XI.
At the moment, he’s probably just outside of that. Keep on scoring the way he has in pre-season and that could change, though. It’s a relief to hear that he’ll be fit enough to get the chance to stake his claim.