Liverpool boss Arne Slot speaks up on Darwin Nunez amid rumors of training group row
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has denied rumors of Darwin Nunez's row in training with one of his coaches. He asserted that the Uruguayan just wasn't feeling very well last week.
The Reds beat West Ham United 2-1 at Anfield in the Premier League last Sunday. Nunez wasn't included in the squad. Some rumors emerged that the Uruguayan had a row with a member of the coaching staff. However, Slot has denied such rumors.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of their Premier League clash at Leicester City on Sunday, Slot said about Nunez's exclusion last week (via Mirror):
“He didn’t feel himself the day before the match, and he went inside and he wasn’t able to be part of the team the day after.”
When asked about the rumors, he said:
“No, he didn’t. He did leave the pitch because he didn’t feel himself.”
Nunez has made 42 appearances across competitions for Liverpool this season, starting just 14. He has scored seven goals and provided seven assists in that time. He has scored just once in his last 15 appearances across competitions, and that was in March against Southampton.
The Uruguay international has started just eight games in the Premier League and has been linked with a move away this summer.
Pundit urges Liverpool to make swap deal involving Darwin Nunez
Pundit Didi Hamann believes the Reds should do a swap deal with Borussia Dortmund involving Darwin Nunez and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. He said that Gittens has been excellent for the German side for most parts. While he has struggled since the appointment of Niko Kovac mid-season, Liverpool should still sign him.
Hamann said:
"One option that could work is Jamie Gittens and Darwin Nunez in a swap deal between Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. Gittens started the season on fire and was almost carrying the team for the first three months of the season.
"Since the new manager arrived he has found things a bit hard and not started many games, because the new manager is looking for the hardest workers. He needed time to adapt but came off the bench and scored on Saturday, hopefully he will have an impact in the Champions League. But I would say that Gittens and Nunez in a swap deal is not that far-fetched."
Gittens was in Manchester City, Reading, and Chelsea's academies before joining Dortmund in 2020. The 20-year-old winger has recorded 17 goals and 14 assists in 102 senior games for the German side.