Darwin Nunez faced criticism from Liverpool fans after failing to applaud Jurgen Klopp during the guard of honour at Anfield on Sunday.
Klopp bid farewell to Liverpool supporters on the final day of the Premier League season, ending his nine-year tenure in the league.
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The 56-year-old, who led Liverpool to seven major trophies, received a guard of honour from players and staff following their 2-0 victory over Wolves.
A fan’s video shows all the players clapping as Klopp walked by, except for Nunez, who stood with his arms down and one hand over the other.
Additionally, Liverpool supporters noticed Nunez’s lack of enthusiasm during Klopp’s speech to the squad in the dressing room after the game. The Uruguayan international was seen with his head in his hand and did not applaud the German manager.
Darwin Núñez não aplaudiu o Klopp na guarda de honra. No discurso no vestiário também não…
Significado de cavar a cova.
Só digo o seguinte: a torcida do Liverpool é a sua amiga mais fiel… mas a pior inimiga que você gostaria de ter.pic.twitter.com/khAAorSzB6
— Caminhantes Vermelhos ???? (@CaminhantesLFC) May 20, 2024
After watching the footage, one Liverpool fan wrote on X: ‘Get him gone. Haven’t seen a player given so much love by the fans and manager and yet be so ungrateful.’
Another fan wrote: ‘To those saying it’s not a big deal, it really is. I love Nunez as a player – he is electric. But this isn’t a player issue. This is a character issue. Just clap. It’s simple.
‘If he can’t figure that out or, even worse, didn’t clap intentionally, then we need to look at if he is a fit for Liverpool over the summer.’
Núñez, who joined Liverpool in June 2022 for £85 million from Benfica, sparked rumors about his future earlier this month by deleting all Liverpool-related posts from his Instagram account.
However, Klopp dismissed speculation about Núñez leaving the club this summer and defended the 24-year-old’s performances this season.
‘He was unlucky in so many situations, where he’s doing everything right, then the ball still doesn’t go in,’ Klopp said.
‘It’s really tough for a young man. He knows about the expectations, he has big expectations for himself. He has to go through it. It’s part of a footballer’s career. That’s all.
‘His problem is that he is that good that he is constantly in these moments. If he is a little bit less good, he couldn’t have chances then people would say he’s not great.
‘How may goals did he score? 18 [overall] and 11 [in the league], not bad numbers. It’s just because of his quality, constantly in these situations, then people say ‘eh?’.
‘And because of our situation as a team, if somebody else would score in that moment, people wouldn’t have felt that bad. Nobody likes it, but it’s part of a career. That’s it.’
