13 September 2023 , 10:18
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Jurgen Klopp has been handed a concerning fitness update on Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez by Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Nunez led the line for Bielsa’s side for Tuesday’s game in Ecuador but he was withdrawn at half-time, with the former Leeds boss explaining that the striker was experiencing muscular discomfort. The Reds star had completed 73 minutes against Chile at the weekend.
The former Benfica striker only featured in a combined 41 minutes of action in Liverpool’s first three Premier League games this season against Chelsea, Bournemouth and Newcastle – appearing as a substitute in each – before completing 65 minutes in the win over Aston Villa ahead of the break.
While Bielsa’s update does not suggest a serious injury issue and carries ambiguity, it hinted that the Uruguayan striker may not be available to start in Saturday’s Premier League trip to Wolves.
Bielsa said that Nunez had “muscular difficulties” before adding of his decision to withdraw him at the break: “It seemed convenient to me to substitute him because he couldn’t keep up with the game when we had to press.”
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Klopp had expressed his concern before the international break over his South American stars, such as Nunez, Luis Diaz and Alexis MacAllister, having excess travel in addition to their match workload – which may put a strain on their sharpness ahead of domestic football returning.
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Liverpool striker Nunez suffered a fitness setback for Uruguay (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)"The boys fly now all over the world now, which is horrible," said Klopp earlier this month. "Pretty much 48 hours after our South Americans play somewhere on the other end of the world, we will play against Wolverhampton Wanderers. That will be a tough one so we have to make sure that we are ready and we will give it a go."
Already missing Virgil van Dijk through suspension for the visit to Molineux, Nunez now appears to be a doubt to be among the starters for the clash. Another key injury doubt is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who sustained an injury before the international break and is facing a race against time to return for the weekend.
The full-back was forced out of the game against Villa after 71 minutes at Anfield after picking up a suspected hamstring issue. Klopp told reporters after the game that while he was optimistic it was not a serious issue, it required further assessment – with a return to action this weekend unlikely.
Klopp explained: “I don’t know exactly. I asked him, he said it’s [his] hamstring. ‘Not too serious’ is his opinion, but we obviously have to wait for the scans and then we will know more.”
The Reds are hopeful of a return for central defender Ibrahima Konate, but doubts remain over the fitness of midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who has yet to feature this campaign.
Klopp said ahead of the game against Villa last time out: “Thiago started training with the team and then had a little setback, so we have to slow down there a little bit. He will use the international break for that then, obviously, to be up to speed.”