Jurgen Klopp shoots down Darwin Nunez to Barcelona ‘speculation’ – a week after the misfiring forward deleted all Liverpool-related posts from his Instagram – sparking concerns over his future

Jurgen Klopp has quashed all rumors surrounding Darwin Nunez’s future amid links with Barcelona following a tough week for the Uruguayan, where he deleted all Liverpool-related posts from his Instagram account.

Nunez faced a barrage of abuse after a disappointing run of form reached a nadir last Sunday when he put in a sub-par cameo in the win over Tottenham. The episode on social media led to speculation that he was unhappy on Merseyside.

Mail Sport reported earlier this week how Liverpool’s stance on Nunez was believed to be firm: he is central to their plans. The club recognizes the good work new boss Arne Slot has done in regaining the confidence of the forwards and believes Nunez will benefit from a new voice.

The Spanish press have linked Nunez with a move to Barcelona, ​​but when asked about this speculation, Klopp said: ‘There is what? There is no speculation. It must be external because I don’t know anything about this.

“There’s no speculation at this point, it’s just a situation we’re in. Darwin was definitely not happy that he missed that opportunity. He is unlucky, let me say: he was unlucky in so many situations where he did everything right, but the ball still didn’t go in.

He fueled speculation about his future after deleting all Liverpool-related posts on Instagram

All that remains are family photos and images of him playing for his national team Uruguay

‘That’s very hard for a young man. He has great expectations of himself. There is no alternative but to go through it, that’s what he’s doing now. We try to help him with everything we can, but you have to go through it, everyone has to go through this.

‘That is part of a footballer’s career. His whole problem is that he’s so good, he’s constantly in these moments. If he was less good, he wouldn’t have any chances. People just say, “That’s not great.” Because he is good, he is in these moments.

‘The number of goals he has scored is certainly not too bad. Eighteen goals. These are not bad numbers! Because of its quality, everyone says: “Ah, one more time!”. Nobody likes it, but it’s part of a career.’

Meanwhile, Klopp still faces the possibility of missing his final game as Liverpool boss if he is shown a yellow card against Aston Villa on Monday. He has already been booked twice this season, so another season would see him serve a touchline ban.

This week, the Spanish press linked Nunez with a move to Xavi’s Barcelona side

Nunez has struggled with his form of late, having failed to score in his last six league games for the Reds

But he said: ‘I’ve known that for a long time, when did I get the second yellow? By the way, we could turn it around and say I only got two yellow cards, and some of my colleagues are suspended, right? Hmm! Of course I have calmed down over the years.

“I don’t have to (be on the sidelines for the last game), but it would be cool if I could do that. It won’t be on my part, I will try absolutely everything not to get involved in any discussion.”