Luis Suarez has warned Darwin Nunez that his Liverpool treatment could be set to get “worse” after his red card against Crystal Palace.
The Uruguayan striker was sent off on his competitive Anfield debut for a headbutt on defender Joachim Andersen in what was a moment of madness for the Reds’ summer signing. The 23-year-old will now miss the next three matches - a run that includes a fierce clash with Manchester United - and adds to Jurgen Klopp ’s lengthy list of problems amid a stuttering start to the campaign and a number of worrying injuries.
Now, the former Benfica forward has been offered some advice by compatriot Luis Suarez - the striker having himself cut an infamously controversial figure at Anfield following a number of incidents.
He has suggested that the treatement against him by opposition could get worse but has instructed Nunez to learn from his sending off. Speaking to Telemundo, he said: "The moment that Darwin is experiencing at a football level is spectacular, it is admirable.
“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 2-3 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.”
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"Darwin is someone who listens a lot. He is very intelligent in that sense and I think he is going to try to turn this situation around, which is nothing serious, we have all made mistakes, we have all been fired; what happens is that just arrived and in England, at the minimum, they already do everything great".
Away from his dismissal, Nunez had actually enjoyed an extremely productive start to life as a Liverpool player. He of course scored on his debut in the Reds’ Community Shield victory over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City before he followed that up with a goal and an assist on his Premier League bow against Fulham.
Aside from the upcoming clash with Man Utd at Old Trafford, Nunez is also set to miss further clashes against AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United. Klopp will certainly hope that his striker’s absence is not felt too hard as the Reds continue their search for their first Premier League victory of the campaign.
The German has already suggested like Suarez that Nunez will be a better player after learning from the incident. Speaking after the red card, he said: “A little provocation here and there – and definitely the wrong reaction.
“A clear red card, I cannot deny that. Yeah, he will learn from that. Unfortunately, he has now a few games’ time to do so. That’s not cool for us in our specific situation, even less, but that’s how it is.”
