MY ACCOUNT
Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez has revealed Luis Suarez’s advice after his red card against Crystal Palace earlier this season, warning him against committing another “screw-up”.
The Uruguay international was dismissed on his home debut for the Reds after headbutting Joachim Andersen in an altercation during the 1-1 Premier League draw in August.
That dismissal was part of a mixed start for the striker at Anfield, though Nunez appears to be turning the corner under manager Jurgen Klopp in recent weeks, scoring in each of his last four starts.
The 23-year-old revealed Suarez, his Uruguay team-mate and former Liverpool forward who was no stranger to controversy during his time in England, texted him advice in the aftermath.
Suarez scored 69 goals and recorded 23 assists in 110 Premier League games for Liverpool between 2011 and 2014 before moving to Barcelona.
“It was a good thing because not many would bother themselves to pick up the phone and send you a message,” Nunez told ESPN. “I think his gesture was really important for me.
“Luis is a reference point, an idol everywhere in the world. I’m getting started, I’m young, and he knows about all those things because he already played in the Premier League with Liverpool.
“Luis told me that these things will happen in every game in the Premier League, that they’ll come and find me, that they’re going to bump into me, and that I need to make myself strong and not repeat my screw-up.
“He said: ‘Listen to an idiot like me.’ I really appreciate that message and the fondness he has for me.”
Nunez scored in his team’s 3-0 win at another of Suarez’s former clubs, Ajax, on Wednesday as Liverpool sealed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
