Liverpool news: Darwin Nunez sends Arne Slot message as Reds star hampered by injury hell

All the latest news from Anfield as Darwin Nunez continues his fine form in Saudi Arabia and Florian Wirtz receives backing from a Premier League stalwart

Liverpool have come into the new season off the back of a huge spending spree that’s rarely been seen at Anfield in recent years. The Reds splashed out £446m on the likes of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike.

Clubs that are having to bed in several new players can suffer on the pitch, as Liverpool have shown on occasion this season. Arne Slot has been forced to navigate several issues this season already, from unlocking the potential of £116m man Florian Wirtz to dealing with injuries to Alisson Becker and Italian defender Leoni.

The defending Premier League champions carry high expectations this season. But juggling such a plethora of talents and finding the right balance can take time, as demonstrated by the Reds inconsistent showings in the Premier League and Champions League so far.

Mirror Football takes a look at Monday’s latest, following Sunday’s match against Manchester United, which is a mixed bag for Slot. The Dutchman will no doubt be mindful of his former striker Darwin Nunez, now scoring for fun in Saudi Arabia.

Liverpool youngster Owen Beck is also enduring a tough time out on loan, while former Premier League striker Darren Bent has offered a glowing appraisal of Wirtz.

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Darwin Nunez sends a message

Many Liverpool fans are split over the sale of Darwin Nunez. He’s either the one that got away or the one that never quite fit in. In 143 appearances for the Reds, the striker bagged 40 goals and 26 assists.

However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Anfield faithful were often angered by Nunez’s penchant for straying offside and his countless squandering of big chances.

That said, now playing in Saudi Arabia for Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal, Nunez has featured on five occasions, scoring four goals and bagging two assists. After a minor knee injury, Nunez came back with a bang against Al-Ettifaq on Saturday, scoring two goals and gaining an assist.

Nunez’s goal scoring exploits could come back to haunt Slot with only Ekitike currently firing out of the Dutchman’s expensive frontline.

Wirtz impresses

Wirtz has endured a tough start to life at Liverpool. Burdened with heavy expectations, the £116m star previously of Bayer Leverkusen has struggled to find his groove in Slot’s system for the majority of this season.

However, Wirtz has shown glimpses of the talent that saw him earmarked as one of Europe’s hottest talents. One such moment came in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea prior to the international break.

The German pulled off an audacious flick after receiving the ball in the Chelsea box, laying off Mohamed Salah who spurned the chance. The outrageous moment of skill caught the eye of ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent, who believes Wirtz will come good at the Reds, as long as he and his team-mates can find common ground on the pitch.

“I promise you now, if you watch him play, you go on. Right. He does things and I go, ‘Oh my goodness,” Bent told talkSPORT.

“But other people around him aren’t on the same wavelength. Like his touch at the end of that Chelsea game was mind-blowing. But then I think it was Salah’s bad touch that let them down. But I think Wirtz is so clever.”

Injury hell for loanee

Liverpool youth product Owen Beck is enduring a tough time on loan at Derby County this season. The 23-year-old left-back has been loaned out several times in recent years.

He impressed at Dundee United and then at Blackburn Rovers last season under manager John Eustace. Eustace was so enamoured with the defender that when he took over at Derby, he ensured that he secured Beck’s services through another loan.

Yet injuries have plagued Beck this season and Eustace has now opened up on Beck’s “tough” few months. “It’s a really difficult moment for Owen,” Eustace told Derbyshire Live.

“He’s not back with the group as such, and it’s been a really frustrating time for him and for us. But we’ve got to get him in the right mindset and in the right state of fitness before he can actually come in and train every day and be part of the group.

“He’s doing well and he’s heading in the right direction. It’s a bit slower than what we wanted, but when he’s back, I know we’ve got a great player to help join the squad. That’s key.”

Beck’s Anfield future remains uncertain to say the least. Failing to usurp Andy Robertson for the left-back position in recent seasons, combined with the arrival of Kerkez from Bournemouth this season means Beck could very well end up departing the Reds sooner rather than later.

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