Liverpool star pays tribute to Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo after thigh injury on international duty
Liverpool star Darwin Nunez paid tribute to injured Barcelona defender and Uruguay teammate Ronald Araujo by holding up his shirt to fans before a friendly match against Canada on Monday.
Nunez and Araujo are two of Uruguay's most promising players heading into the FIFA World Cup in November. Araujo suffered a thigh injury in his team's 1-0 friendly loss against Iran on September 23.
As per BarcaUniversal, he has now flown out to Finland to undergo surgery on Wednesday, which could put him out of action for up to three months. If that turns out to be the case, Araujo would most definitely miss the World Cup in Qatar.
He may have missed Uruguay's 2-0 win against Canada but the Barcelona defender was clearly on his teammates' minds. Nunez held up a Uruguay shirt before kickoff with Araujo's name and number written on the back.
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The Liverpool striker has been recently criticized for his form since the start of the season and was mocked after a video showed him skewing a shot horribly wide in a training session. He has failed to score or assist in his past four appearances for the Merseysiders across all competitions.
However, he was on target for his national team in the 33rd minute against the Canadians when he headed in a cross from former Liverpool star Luis Suarez. The goal came after Nicolas de la Cruz opened the scoring in the 6th minute.
Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo explains decision to undergo surgery
After Araujo's injury against the Iranians, there was speculation that the Uruguay national team was pressuring the Barcelona star to opt out of surgery. This would have increased his chances of playing in their opening World Cup group stage match against South Korea on November 24.
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However, the former Boston River center-back clarified why he has opted to go under the knife in a message he posted on social media. He wrote (h/t Goal):
"I want to make clear the reasons why I made my decision, to avoid speculation. I love my country and I love my club. After consultation with several professionals, we decided that the best thing is surgical intervention.
"It's not about choosing one team or the other, it's about my health and getting back to 100% as soon as possible. Personally, these are very difficult times and I take this opportunity to thank everyone for the support I am receiving. With faith and hard work, I will do my best to return as quickly as possible."
Araujo's absence will be felt by both Barcelona and Uruguay but there is still hope that he recovers in time for the showpiece event in Qatar.