Everton receive boost as Liverpool could be without Darwin Nunez after injury news emerges
Everton could be set to receive a boost after Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez may have picked up an injury during the international break.
The Uruguayan played 90 minutes as he scored for his country in their 2-0 win over Brazil in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday (17 October).
But speaking to El Observador after the game, the 24-year-old admitted that he “ended up a little cramped” towards the end of the game, potentially casting doubts over his availability for the Merseyside Derby on Saturday (21 October).
The forward has been extremely hit-and-miss for Liverpool since making the big-money move from Benfica to Anfield last summer.
Despite questions being asked about his performances last season, he still managed to score 15 goals and register four assists in 42 appearances, with only 26 of those games coming as a starter.
He’s had a reasonable start to this campaign, having found the back of the net four times and laid on three assists in his opening 10 matches.
After starting in two of the last three Premier League games, he would be a loss for the Reds if he wasn’t able to line up against Everton at the weekend.
Perhaps it is only a minor issue that he suffered on international duty, but with a long flight back from South America and the game kicking off at lunchtime on Saturday, there could be question marks around his availability.
That would be another blow for Jurgen Klopp after Andy Robertson has been ruled out for the fixture after suffering a shoulder injury for Scotland against Spain on Thursday (12 October) that will keep him out for up to 10 weeks.
The Liverpool boss will know exactly what is at stake in the clash against the Toffees, so he will be desperate to not lose any more first-team players ahead of the match.
Although Nunez’s finishing has been questionable at times for the Anfield club, he does still possess plenty of quality and has bags of pace to run in behind defences.
It would be a bonus for the Blues if they don’t have to come up against that threat down the centre of the pitch, with alternatives such as Cody Gakpo preferring to play in front of the defence.
But whoever does start for Liverpool in the forward positions, Sean Dyche knows that his team has to be absolutely on it and he’ll be driving that message home over the course of the next couple of days ahead of the Merseyside clash.
In other Everton news, Conor Coady has shared what the club needs moving forward.