Arne Slot and Mohamed Salah during Liverpool vs Man City (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has taken aim at Darwin Nunez for a lack of effort, saying he can’t accept seeing that from his players for more than one game in a row.
The Reds boss recently called out Nunez for the way he responded to missing a big chance in the draw with Aston Villa, and it seems he’s still not happy with the Uruguay international.
“I got gay tendencies and kissed him on the mouth” – who said this about Zlatan Ibrahimovic and what happened next?!
The Dutch tactician has once again singled out Nunez, saying he’s not happy with him and that he cannot accept his current levels.
See below for Slot’s quotes, as reported by journalist Fabrizio Romano on X…
? Arne Slot: “For the second time in a row I wasn’t happy with Darwin Nunez’s work effort”.
“I can’t accept if a player doesn’t give everything. That is clear. I can accept it once but twice was a bit too much. That’s why I addressed it”. pic.twitter.com/ekd3dHbz20
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 25, 2025
Slot said: “For the second time in a row I wasn’t happy with Darwin Nunez’s work effort.
“I can’t accept if a player doesn’t give everything. That is clear. I can accept it once but twice was a bit too much. That’s why I addressed it.”
Nunez has certainly had a bit of a mixed spell at Anfield, and these public criticisms from his manager perhaps don’t bode too well for his long-term future at the club.
Can Darwin Nunez win over Arne Slot?
Nunez looked like a hugely exciting talent during his time at former club Benfica, but it’s just not happened for him at LFC and it looks like a long way back for him now.
Nunez will need to majorly improve his performances between now and the end of the season if he is to get himself back in favour with Slot.
Previous manager Jurgen Klopp seemed a bit more willing to give Nunez time and show him patience, but Slot has set very high standards early on in his Liverpool reign.
It will be interesting to see if the 25-year-old can bounce back from here or if this is now the beginning of the end for his time on Merseyside.