Life since leaving Liverpool hasn’t gone to plan for Darwin Nunez, but he got a rare moment of joy with a brace for Al-Hilal.
Just days after the news that Nunez was dropped from Al-Hilal’s league squad, the Uruguayan responded in the best possible way.
It hasn’t been easy for him since making the move to Saudi Arabia, and the arrival of Karim Benzema seems to have pushed the former Liverpool striker down the pecking order.
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He is still in the squad for continental competition, and his first outing since being axed was exactly what Nunez needed.
Darwin Nunez shines for Al-Hilal with a brace and a reaction
He went to Saudi for big money, and the strange part is that he’s not been bad at all.
Even before putting two past Al Wahda, he was producing at a respectable rate. He now has nine goals and five assists in 22 games for the current league leaders.
But the relationship between Nunez and Al-Hilal has soured.
So his reaction after this most recent performance seems fairly warranted.
After scoring his second of the evening, Nunez quite clearly stared up at the ownership box, as if to say: ‘What are you thinking?’
He was never short on confidence while at Anfield, which was frustrating in itself.
But in this situation, he has every right to feel this way. Al-Hilal have made a rather baffling decision there.
Nunez needs to come back to Europe
The 26-year-old has years of football left at the top level, and while the standard of the Saudi League has elevated, it would be far better to see him in Europe’s Champions League.
Somewhere like La Liga or the Bundesliga would bring the best out of Nunez.
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With Benzema certain to take the starting role at Al-Hilal, a summer switch should be on his mind.
It doesn’t seem like the owners will care all that much.
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