Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez is currently attracting headlines like he attracts chances. He didn't make the starting XI against Tottenham, but he certainly made the news.
Shortly after that game — where Núñez faced some criticism for failing to kill the match off from the bench — fans spotted that the striker had removed almost all references to Liverpool from his Instagram feed. Around the same time, transfer links to Barcelona emerged.
That would see Núñez follow the path of Luis Suárez. But Liverpool may still be hoping that he emulates his compatriot in a different way, exploding into goal-scoring form after a promising but unpolished start to life at the club.
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Incoming head coach Arne Slot, along with FSG head of football Michael Edwards and new sporting director Richard Hughes, will need to decide how much patience to afford the striker. With that in mind, Suárez has previously had some telling comments, while the latest footage perhaps gives an insight into Núñez's headspace at the minute. Here are two Liverpool.com stories from today that you don't want to miss.
Luis Suárez already said it all about Darwin NúñezSuárez and Núñez have overlapped a little in the Uruguay team, but the nation hopes that the Liverpool striker will ultimately take over the mantle. As Liverpool knows more than most, those are some big shoes to fill.
But Suárez has long had faith in his young international teammate. He revealed on Twitch in 2021 (via SportBible) that he had once urged Barcelona to make a move for Núñez.
"When he was at Almería, I said it at Barca,” Suárez said to Gerard Romero. “They asked me and I said ‘look after this guy, he’s very interesting’, but they said no, he’s at Almería, he’s very young. But instead of paying now 80, 90, or 100 million, they would have paid 15 or 20.”
Sure enough, Liverpool did pay in that region to take Núñez from Benfica. Perhaps Barcelona could get him for slightly cheaper now if its interest proves genuine, but the recommendation of Suárez is one of many things that should make Liverpool think very carefully before cutting its losses. Read the full story from James Findlater by clicking here.
New Liverpool footage shows Núñez reactionIf Núñez's social media activity suggested something was wrong, new footage from after the Spurs game seems to reinforce that notion. The striker has worn his heart on his sleeve from the moment he joined, and while that has endeared him to the Anfield faithful, it appears he is not especially happy at the moment.
Núñez was the first one off the pitch after the win over Spurs, making a beeline for the tunnel and barely acknowledging the supporters. There are parallels with Mohamed Salah's foul mood last week against West Ham, with neither forward enjoying being benched from the start.
Salah bounced back against Spurs, and Liverpool will hope that Núñez's problems are similarly short-lived. But at the moment, it looks as though Slot could inherit a delicate situation. Read the full story here.
