Liverpool's Darwin Nunez withdraws from Uruguay squad with hamstring issue

Darwin Nunez has withdrawn from Uruguay's national team following a hamstring issue he sustained during Liverpool's 4-3 loss to Manchester United on Sunday.

The 24-year-old featured for the entire 120 minutes of Liverpool's FA Cup quarter-final defeat against their arch rivals over the weekend at Old Trafford.

It is understood that Nunez reported feeling discomfort in his hamstring to Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa following the match, and it was decided that he would remain with the club's medical staff over the international break.

As a result, Nunez will not travel with La Celeste for the upcoming friendlies against the Basque Country and the Ivory Coast.

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However, it is believed that the injury is not considered to be too serious, and with nearly two weeks until Liverpool's next match, he remains in contention to feature for the club against Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield on March 31.

Following Sunday's match, Klopp acknowledged that Nunez was among several players dealing with injuries in a squad already affected by fitness issues, stating, "Now, the boys go on international duty, they have to recover. We hope they come back healthy."

"We had some problems. Lucho (Luis Diaz) felt his groin, Darwin his hamstring, hopefully it is not. And Cody Gakpo has twisted his ankle I think. I didn't see it back, so we have to see.

"I don't know when they play their first game but probably in four or five days, it's a crazy schedule. Let's hope they can get through that and then the rest of the season starts."

Liverpool are currently dealing with the absence of eight key first-team players, including Alisson Becker, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak.

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However, there has been some positive news for the Reds, with Ibrahima Konate joining the France squad for the upcoming internationals after recovering from a recent muscle injury.

Undoubtedly, Liverpool will be eager for Nunez's swift return to action as they aim for a successful conclusion to Klopp's tenure.

The team currently sits in second place, level on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with only goal difference separating them, while Manchester City are just one point behind.

All three clubs have only 10 top-flight fixtures left in what looks like a league campaign that could go down to the wire.

The Reds have already secured the EFL Cup this season and are also aiming for success in the Europa League as they prepare to face Atalanta in the quarter-finals.