What Jurgen Klopp said about whether Darwin Nuñez will start against Aston Villa
Jurgen Klopp admitted that Darwin Nuñez is ‘not happy’ being a substitute, but suggested that Liverpool’s new number nine has made a good case to start next weekend against Aston Villa after his match-winning brace against Newcastle.
The Uruguayan came off the bench to to score twice and snatch victory for the Reds at St. James’ Park under dramatic circumstances on Sunday.
Liverpool went a goal down and then a man down in the first half against Newcastle, with a Trent Alexander-Arnold error leading to Anthony Gordon’s opener, before Virgil van Dijk was sent off.
However, what looked to be a rough afternoon was turned into a magical one when substitute Nuñez bagged two near-identical finishes late in the second half.
The former Benfica man has yet to start a game this season, but Klopp hinted after the game that he has a selection headache for next week.
Asked about Nuñez’s starting lineup claim, Klopp replied (via Liverpoolfc.com): “I never made a decision about the line-up the week before the game, we will see. But you can have worse arguments, I would say.”
Klopp also added that while the Reds’ new number nine is not happy to be just an impact sub, there will be plenty of chance for him to impress throughout the long season.
“He is not happy for not starting, that’s how it is but somebody, in this early stage of the season, cannot start. We cannot have 11 players and play them all the time, so we need to find stability is the discussion… I don’t know if the public discusses it but of course players are not happy [when they do not start],” Klopp said.
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“But after the international break we play every three days and nobody can play all the games so we have to make sure we have different options to go for. And we need to create a new way to play football and, of course, Darwin can be a super part of that. His key strengths are exceptional, absolutely, but we need to find stability as well. So, for him everything will be fine but it is just maybe it had to be like this – if he wouldn’t have been that angry and started the game today, he wouldn’t score two in the last six minutes or whatever, so let’s take it like that.”
Liverpool take on Aston Villa at Anfield on Sunday, 3 September in the last game before the September international break. That will be followed by a trip to Wolves on 16 September.
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Liverpool target Ryan Gravenberch makes blunt transfer admission over final five days of summer window
Ryan Gravenberch has been linked with a move to Anfield all summer long
Ryan Gravenbernch admits he is unsure what his future holds at Bayern Munich following interest from Liverpool and Manchester United in the final days of the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old has been restricted to just nine minutes of action in the Bundesliga so far this season with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka ahead of the Dutchman in Thomas Tuchel’s rankings.
Earlier this year it is believed that Liverpool officials had met with Gravenberch’s father and agent to discuss a potential move to Anfield, though at this stage the Reds’ interest has gone no further than admiring the former Ajax midfielder from afar.
And after making his first appearance of the season during Bayern’s 3-1 victory over Augsburg on Sunday, Gravenberch told reporters that he was unsure where the final days of the transfer window will take him.
“I don‘t know what will happen in the next days,” said the Dutchman when asked about his future at the Allianz Arena amid interest from both Liverpool and Manchester United.
Back on Merseyside and despite securing a last-gasp victory over Newcastle United on Sunday, Jamie Carragher urged the Reds to dip into the transfer market for both a defender and a midfielder before Friday’s transfer deadline.
“These are players who are not coming to the end of their careers but in the sort of stage where if you think Liverpool are going to go for something big again, it probably has to happen in the next year or two,” said Carragher post-match at St James’ Park. “So really go for it in the last week of the window of the transfer market to get a squad that you think is good to challenge Manchester City in this league because he [Alisson] deserves it more than anybody.”
So far this summer Liverpool have added three midfielders to their ranks to combat the outgoings of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo all making the move to Anfield.
Gravenberch, meanwhile, is under contract in Bavaria until 2027.
