Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has hailed former Red Luis Suarez for his advice in the aftermath of his red card against Crystal Palace earlier this season.
The former Benfica man was given his marching orders just two games into his Premier League career for a brutal headbutt on Eagles defender Joachim Andersen. The red card saw Nunez miss out on the following three league games amid his indifferent start to life with the Reds.
Whilst his sending off triggered plenty of reaction from across the footballing landscape, one man that did offer his advice to Nunez was former Liverpool striker and countryman Suarez.
He suggested that the striker's treatment in the top flight of English football could only get worse. Speaking in August, the veteran striker said: "At his age, already being at Liverpool, it is to applaud him. He has to enjoy this stage, continue to give him, continue learning from what happened to him the other day.
"From now on they [defenders] are going to look for you two-three times more. This is coming from an idiot that was wrong and had a bad time, but falling down and getting up again made me stronger. Don't give them more chances, it's going to be worse."
It appears that Nunez has taken Suarez's words to heart.
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As quoted by ESPN Uruguay, he said: "It was a good thing [Suarez's advice] because not many bother to pick up the phone and send you a message, I think his gesture was very important to me. Luis is a benchmark, an idol around the world.
"I'm just starting out, I'm young, and he knows all these things because he's even played in the Premier League with Liverpool.
"Luis told me that these things in the Premier League, are going to happen in all the games, that they are going to come looking for me, that they are going to hit me, and that I must become strong, and I must not repeat the s*** he sent me. 'Listen to an idiot like me,' he told me. I am very grateful for that message and the love he has for me."
While Nunez endured a somewhat tricky start to life at Anfield, he has somewhat managed to find his feet in recent weeks. Following his strike in Wednesday evening's victory against Ajax, his record now sits at six goals in 13 games in all competitions as a Liverpool player.
It wasn't all good news for Nunez in Amsterdam though, having inexplicably missed an open goal during the first half after being teed up by fellow forward Roberto Firmino - the Brazilian left aghast by the Uruguayan hitting the post.
