Darwin Nunez celebration ‘risky’ because of Liverpool injury

Highlights

• Darwin Nunez will have left Liverpool chief Jurgen Klopp ‘fearful’ of being forced to contend with a longer period without his services after hurdling barriers.
• The frontman could not contain his emotions after the Reds sealed victory in the Carabao Cup final last weekend.
• Respected journalist Dean Jones believes that Nunez is still in line to make a quick recovery from injury despite his wild celebrations.

Liverpool star Darwin Nunez’s decision to get involved in wild celebrations following the Carabao Cup final win was ‘risky’ after being forced to miss the clash with Chelsea through injury, and journalist Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that boss Jurgen Klopp would have been ‘fearful’ of the Uruguay international having to spend longer on the Anfield treatment table.

The German tactician hailed the victory under the Wembley arch as ‘easily the most special trophy’ he has won during his successful managerial career as he saw a threadbare Reds side which included a host of teenagers bag silverware thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s 118th minute header.

The triumph came a matter of weeks after Klopp announced that he will be stepping down as Liverpool’s chief at the end of the season due to ‘running out of energy’, but he was unable to call upon a host of first-team stars including Nunez as Chelsea were swept aside in dramatic circumstances.

Nunez may make return from injury against Southampton

Nunez could return to the Liverpool matchday squad for their FA Cup fifth round clash with Southampton on Wednesday, according to the Evening Standard, after he narrowly missed out on being passed fit for the Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea last weekend.

The report suggests that the striker, who had been a doubt in the build-up to the trip to Wembley due to sustaining an injury during the victory against Brentford earlier this month, is in line to be back in contention for a starting berth alongside Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Nunez’s absence in the clash for silverware came as a major blow for Klopp as he has found the back of the net 13 times and registered a further 11 assists this season, while statistics highlight that he has been getting more shots away than Manchester City frontman Erling Haaland since the campaign got underway.

Despite being unable to compete in the Carabao Cup final after struggling to shake off his injury, Nunez still managed to hit the headlines as surprise footage captured him hurdling the barriers when he could not resist joining in the celebrations after the final whistle was blown.

Klopp joked that he would have to ‘speak with the medical department’ after the former Benfica marksman’s wild reaction to the Merseyside giants ensuring they would not go the entire season without winning a trophy as he ‘looked 100 per cent’ after being deemed unfit to get involved.

Respected reporter Jones previously told GIVEMESPORT that members of the Anfield hierarchy and key figures within the coaching staff are confident that Nunez will go on to become a ’30-goal striker’ after working on his consistency levels in recent months.

Dean Jones – Nunez would have concerned Klopp after hurdling barriers

Jones believes that Nunez’s decision to hurdle the barriers around the Wembley pitch, as he was desperate to get involved in the celebrations, would have left supporters and Klopp worried that he may have worsened his injury issue and, in the process, put his recovery time back.

But the reputable journalist feels that the South American, who became Liverpool’s club-record signing when he completed a £85million switch in June 2022, is still in line to make a quick recovery after he missed the Carabao Cup final due to being unable to deal with the intensity of the fixture while nursing his current problem.

When asked about Nunez’s celebrations, Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

“It obviously looks quite funny, and I’m sure some people were fearful that there was a threat of danger to it all because he could have aggravated a problem that leaves him sidelined for longer.

“I think it’s important that we remember that when players suffer muscular injuries, it doesn’t mean that they necessarily move quickly and it goes.

“Muscular injuries cannot be risked because of the intensity and relentlessness that you play with in the Premier League, the stretches that you make for the ball and the power that you put into your running and kicking.

“You see players charged down for a ball and their hamstring goes, or they go for a kick and their quad goes. We have seen things like that many times before.

“It looks a little bit risky when Nunez is hurdling things, but it is probably less of a risk factor than we actually think it might be.”

Kelleher wanted by Celtic in summer deal

Caoimhin Kelleher has emerged as a summer target for Celtic after his heroics played a key role in Liverpool winning the Carabao Cup last weekend, according to Football Insider, but the reigning Scottish Premiership champions will find it difficult to reach an agreement when the transfer window reopens.

The report suggests that the goalkeeper, who made a number of crucial saves at Wembley despite being restricted to just 450 minutes of Premier League action this season, is firmly on the Glasgow giants’ radar after Joe Hart has announced that he will retire at the end of the campaign.

Celtic have prioritised a move for a shot-stopper and have been keeping tabs on Kelleher during the early stages of 2024, but they could not up the ante in their pursuit before the winter window slammed shut on February 1 due to being unable to meet his £20million price tag.

Bhoys chief Brendan Rodgers’ interest predates the turn of the year as he also lodged an enquiry last summer, only to be informed that the 25-year-old would not be going anywhere because of fears that first-choice custodian Alisson Becker could be the subject of Saudi Pro League interest.

Transfer insider Jones previously told GIVEMESPORT that Kelleher would fit the bill as a long-term replacement for Hart, but it is not outside the realm of possibility for his performance in the Carabao Cup final to have led to even more admirers circling ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Statistics courtesy of FBref and the Premier League’s official website