DOHA, QATAR - Thursday, November 24, 2022: Uruguay's Darwin Núñez during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Uruguay and South Korea at the Education City Stadium. The game ended in a goal-less draw. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Darwin Nunez latest Red given summer off after Uruguay omission

Darwin Nunez can take full advantage of the summer break after being left out of Uruguay’s squad for their June internationals.

Liverpool’s No. 27 was unable to represent his country during the March international break due to injury and he will now be absent for the second time in a row.

Nunez was not named in Marcelo Bielsa’s first Uruguay squad for their friendlies against Nicaragua and Cuba this month – a personal disappointment but a boost for the Reds.

The forward missed the last three games of the season due to a toe injury, which played its part in the decision despite Nunez having returned to training prior to the trip to Southampton.

The 23-year-old had “trained fully” in the lead-up to the Reds’ season finale but did not take his place in the matchday squad on the south coast.

It means Nunez misses out on an early opportunity to catch the eye of his new international manager, who has named a young, experimental squad for the summer.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 6, 2023: Liverpool's Darwin Núñez during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Bielsa has also left out the likes of Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Jose Maria Gimenez and former Liverpool target Manuel Ugarte, as he looks to assess his options beyond the big names.

Nunez’s last involvement for his country came during the World Cup, with his final group appearance notching his 16th cap, though only nine have been as part of the starting XI.

His wait for another will continue, though, as he instead enjoys a six-week break before Liverpool return to pre-season on July 8 – a luxury also handed to Fabinho after his Brazil snub.

The Uruguayan’s debut season saw him have to clear a number of hurdles but a return of 15 goals and five assists is more than respectable, but he is not without areas for improvement.

The biggest is to start mastering the English language, with Klopp then hoping the rest can quickly fall into place.

Back in April, the manager said: “He has to learn English, that’s how it is, we can translate everything but in training sessions, we cannot have four languages translated.”