4 things spotted in Liverpool training as Darwin Nunez sends clear message
With the games coming thick and fast for Liverpool now, it was full steam ahead for the Reds in training on Thursday ahead of meeting Bournemouth.
Tuesday’s win over AC Milan was just what was needed following last weekend’s surprise defeat to Nottingham Forest. Arne Slot’s side though will need to make sure they don’t fall in the same trap again on Saturday as they look to make more amends at Anfield.
The Liverpool boss resisted the urge to rotate his squad too much in Italy, making just the two changes at the San Siro as Cody Gakpo and Kostas Tsimikas were handed their opportunities. Slot though will no doubt have been keeping a close eye on his players during training as he weighs up his side for Saturday.
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Here’s a look at what Liverpool.com spotted from today’s training session.
Nunez all smiles
It hasn’t been a great start to the season for Darwin Nunez. The striker is still awaiting his first start under Slot, never mind his first goal in the new regime.
In fact, it hasn’t been too kind a year in general for Nunez. Having lost his place in Liverpool’s side at the end of last season, he was slapped with a five-game international ban for his part in the brawl following Uruguay’s exit from the Copa America during the summer.
Amid the frustrations that marked his and Liverpool’s downfall last season, Nunez took the extreme step of deleting all of his images relating to the Reds from his Instagram account. Although he has resumed posting this season, he still isn’t quite painting a picture of a player happy with his current situation, having set his account to private following Tuesday’s win over AC Milan.
If there is any ill-feeling from the 25-year-old though, there wasn’t any sign of it in training. Nunez was all smiles during the session on Thursday as he looks to force his way into the reckoning for Saturday’s game against Bournemouth.
Gomez and Slot
Joe Gomez’s future at Anfield is decided for the time being, although an uncertain summer will almost certainly see him being linked with a move away in a few months when the January window opens.
Liverpool’s longest-serving current player was of course left out of the opening day squad at Ipswich as he explored his options, having come close to a move to Newcastle earlier in the summer in a sensational deal that would have seen Anthony Gordon heading in the opposite direction.
Gomez would end up staying put, but there haven’t been too many signs of the England international forcing his way into Slot’s thinking since the window closed. He only made his first appearance of the season on Tuesday as he came off the bench against AC Milan, with the game all-but settled.
Judging by the latest training pictures though, there are no hard feelings between Gomez and Slot, with the pair sharing a handshake on Thursday. Whether that means the defender will remain at Anfield in January or next summer, we’ll have to wait and see.
Trent being cheeky
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future remains a huge talking point as the clock ticks down on his contract. There’s now less than four months before he can negotiate a free transfer to a foreign club, and it seems likely Real Madrid might be in that conversation.
You can’t really blame Liverpool fans for getting a little edgy at the short amount of time remaining on the right-back’s current deal. Nor can you blame them for getting excited at any possible hint of a renewal.
The sight of Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk walking around the AXA Training Centre in full kit had a few fans getting excited on Thursday morning, only for it to turn out to be team photo day. You can’t help but feel Liverpool’s media team might have known what they were doing there.
And it does feel a bit like Alexander-Arnold is somewhat in on the joke, with the 25-year-old flashing a cheeky grin to the camera during a gym session. Hopefully he knows something we don’t…
Catch me if you can
Ryan Gravenberch must be loving life at the moment. There will have been plenty of questions over his place in the side before the start of the season, but he has answered them in no uncertain manner.
A man-of-the-match performance at the San Siro in Liverpool’s opening Champions League game on Tuesday was just the latest feather in the cap for the 22-year-old, who can now claim to be one of the first names on the teamsheet under Slot.
It’s not just opposition players who appear to be struggling with his form though. By the looks of things, even his own teammates can’t lay a finger on him in training.
Gravenberch could be seen evading the clutch of Dominik Szoboszlai in what looks like a warm-up game. Don’t worry Dom, you’re certainly not on your own there this season.
After what was an uncertain first season at Anfield, Gravenberch certainly looks to have found his feet. Even if Martin Zubimendi is thinking of making a U-turn after snubbing the Reds during the summer, Slot and Richard Hughes might not be so quick to chase his signature this time.