Darwin Nunez of Liverpool might be out for up to four weeks if he suffers a shoulder ligament damage
According to injury expert Ben Dinnery, Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez could miss up to four weeks of activity at Anfield if he has torn the ligaments in his shoulder.
The 23-year-old had to be replaced in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday.
Darwin Nunez has been injured for Liverpool.
Nunez had to be replaced by Roberto Firmino shortly before the hour mark after landing heavily on his shoulder at St. James’ Park, putting his availability for the side’s Champions League last-16 first-leg encounter with Real Madrid on Tuesday in doubt.
Following the weekend’s victory, Klopp was dubious of the degree of the striker’s injury, saying (via the Daily Mail): “He had to go out with that issue and we need more assessment. I don’t know (the extent) right now. It is painful right now. “I hope it’s just pain and nothing more.”
The former Benfica star will have been upset to have picked up the injury on Tyneside, having already scored a goal for himself, and was ready for the final 30 minutes against a ten-man Newcastle team that had seen goalkeeper Nick Pope sent off in the first half for a handball outside the box.
Dinnery believes that the best-case scenario is that Nunez has suffered a hard impact injury, but that he might be out for two to four weeks if his shoulder ligaments have been damaged.
What did Dinnery have to say about Liverpool and Nunez?
“In the best-case scenario, it’s just a heavy impact injury and a little bit of pain management,” Dinnery told GiveMeSport.
“If there’s that partial stretching of the shoulder with the ligaments within and surrounding that joint, then we could be looking at somewhere between two to four weeks.
Is Nunez’s absence a major setback for Liverpool?
Nunez, who journalist Charlotte Coates predicted might become a “monster” under Klopp, has had a difficult season since arriving at Anfield last summer in a transfer worth up to £85 million.
In 28 games, the 16-cap Uruguay international has 11 goals and four assists, indicating that the more he adapts to the Premier League, the better his goalscoring record will become.
The Artigas-born talent has a WhoScored rating of 6.94 for his performances in the Premier League this season, ranking him as Klopp’s joint-sixth-best-performing player, demonstrating that he has been a viable option in the Liverpool team.
According to FBref, the 6 foot 2 South American ranks in the top 3% of forwards across Europe’s big five leagues, as well as the Champions League and Europa League, for touches in the opposition’s penalty area (8.15) and the top 5% for progressive carries per 90 minutes (3.30) over the last 365 days.
Nunez may not have reached the heights that were anticipated of him, but his absence would be a significant setback to Klopp’s side ahead of a crucial few weeks in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
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