Liverpool star 'removed' from international duty due to physical issues

Darwin Nunez has been removed from Uruguay's international squad due to 'physical issues' according to Fabrizio Romano.

Nunez had been called up for their upcoming friendlies against Basque Country and the Ivory Coast by Marcelo Bielsa and he will reportedly remain in Liverpool across the duration of the international break to recover after a hectic fixture schedule.

The news was revealed by Romano on X, as he wrote: 'Darwin Núñez will not be part of Uruguay squad for the upcoming games due to physical issues. Understand he has no serious injury but Darwin already suffered problems in the last week and will recover in Liverpool in the next 10 days.'

Nunez played the full 120 minutes against Manchester United in the 4-3 FA Cup defeat, in what was his fifth appearance since returning from a muscle injury on March 2. Since then, he's failed to complete 90 minutes as Liverpool battled a tough schedule of five games in 15 days. Prior to that, he was sidelined with a muscle issue that saw him miss three games in February, including the EFL Cup final win over Chelsea - again with a muscle complaint. These recent injury issues have been rare this season as he has been available for the entirety of the season before the injuries in February.

Jurgen Klopp will need his forward fit and firing for the run-in across the Premier League and Europa League as he has been one of their best players this season. 17 goals and 14 assists across 42 games has been hugely impressive and a marked improvement on last season's debut year efforts. He has since become the main man for Bielsa at international level but they don't face any competitive fixtures until the start of the Copa America in June, when they face off in a group comprised of Panama, Bolivia and the United States of America.