Premier League pundit Andy Townsend was in love with the impact of Darwin Nunez against Wolves as the Liverpool substitute lifted the players around him on Saturday.
The 24-year-old initially had to settle for a seat on their bench as Liverpool visited Molineux. Jurgen Klopp did not want to risk Nunez after the striker suffered a muscular injury while on international duty. But the German looked to him in the 56th minute to replace Cody Gakpo.
Nunez would have hoped to keep his starting place against Wolves after opening Liverpool’s previous Premier League match. Klopp started the Uruguay international for the first time in 2023/24 as the Reds edged Aston Villa. He also assisted Mohamed Salah for their third goal.
Nunez avoided a serious injury whilst representing Uruguay
Klopp elected to start Nunez against Aston Villa after the striker scored twice in 13 minutes at Newcastle United. The 18-cap attacker flipped the script at St James’ Park after entering the action in the 77th minute. He registered goals in the 81st and 93rd minutes to win 2-1.
But Nunez lost out on a starting role after Marcelo Bielsa had to replace the attacker at half-time as Uruguay faced Ecuador. The former Leeds United boss feared aggravating the issue after Nunez developed some muscular issues. Bielsa noted the injuries ‘limited his mobility’.
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Townsend adored Nunez’s display for Liverpool at Wolves
Bielsa’s decision to take Nunez out during Uruguay’s 2-1 defeat to Ecuador in a 2026 World Cup qualifier potentially saved the Liverpool star from a serious injury and missing their trip to Wolves entirely. He might come back into contention to start against West Ham United.
Klopp will note the impact that Nunez had on how Liverpool played at Wolves following his introduction for Gakpo. Townsend, for one, certainly adored what the Artigas-born attacker showed at Molineux. He spoke highly of Nunez on Premier League Production (16/9, 13:50):
“Things happen for Liverpool when Darwin Nunez comes onto the field. He just seems to use his running power and his appetite for it, and seems to lift people around him.”