Liverpool fans were reassured going into the 2024/25 campaign that Darwin Nunez would not be tossed to one side.
If anything, one of Arne Slot’s key objectives upon arriving at Anfield was to get a consistent tune out of the Uruguayan international.
The former Benfica hitman has had a fairly mixed career at L4 since joining in the summer of 2022. Nonetheless, he’s managed to tally up 52 goal contributions in 103 games (across all competitions) in the famous red shirt.
Notably, this leaves him with a rate of one goal or assist every 109.59 minutes for Liverpool.
Uruguayan reports fear Arne Slot isn’t giving Darwin Nunez a chance
What to do with Darwin Nunez?
The 25-year-old striker is still deemed a bit of a conundrum. The Anfield crowd absolutely adores him (and rightly so, in our view) but he’s a problem figure in the eyes of many a pundit.
Now there are fears from the ‘unreal’ (as described by Sky Sports’ panel whilst reacting to his chipped finish against Brentford) footballer’s home country that he’s being forgotten about on the bench.
Uruguayan outlet El Pais (via Sport Witness) claims that the ex-Penarol striker isn’t being given a fair crack of the whip under new boss Arne Slot.
Who else should Liverpool bench but Darwin Nunez?
The first thing to point out is that Nunez will almost certainly get his fair share of opportunities to shine in the first XI, if he’s patient enough.
There are far too many games on the calendar (particularly if Liverpool have aspirations of going long in all competitions) for our head coach to stick rigidly to his idea of our best XI. Further, to that point, Slot’s idea of his “best XI” is most certainly sure to evolve dependent on availability and form.
At this moment in time, Diogo Jota has earned his spot in the first-team registering six goal contributions in in nine games. He’s only not produced a goal or assist in 2/6 of the league games he’s played a part in.
The Portuguese international’s injury record, however, tells us that we’re unlikely to be able to rely on him in perpetuity.