Darwin Nunez signed with Liverpool from Benfica for £64m in 2022
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has expressed that he “can’t accept” striker Darwin Nunez’s work-rate in his last two matches.
Nunez, the Uruguay international, came on as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 victory over Wolves on February 16 and the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on February 19, where he notably missed an open goal. He was not called upon in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Manchester City, which saw Liverpool extend their lead to 11 points at the top of the Premier League.While Slot defended Nunez following his miss against Villa, he pointed out that the striker’s “disappointment” had affected his work-rate.”I helped him by saying it’s okay to miss a chance,” Slot explained in his pre-match news conference ahead of Wednesday’s game against Newcastle. “I wasn’t just tough on him. But for the second consecutive time, I wasn’t happy with his effort, against Wolves and against Villa.””I can’t accept a player not giving their all—that’s clear. I can accept it once, but twice was too much, so I addressed it. If you miss a chance, you still need to fight for the team. I’m not saying he didn’t do that at all, but it wasn’t the usual Darwin, the one fans love, because he typically works so hard.”Slot also mentioned that Nunez, who has scored six goals in 35 appearances for Liverpool this season, was “incredible” in training on Monday.