A dry spell and a call to Liverpool… Has Al-Hilal dashed Nunez’s World Cup dream?

Núñez joined Al-Hilal during the last summer transfer window, arriving from Liverpool for €53 million, but his form has been inconsistent in the first half of the current season.

The biggest crisis, however, came last February, when Al-Hilal’s coaching staff, led by Italian Simone Inzaghi, decided to drop him from the squad for the Roshen League in favour of French striker Karim Benzema.

Around a month and a half after being dropped from the domestic squad, Núñez joined the Uruguay national team camp during the international break this March, but his involvement was minimal.

The Uruguayan striker came on as a substitute for just three minutes during the 1-1 draw with England last Friday, before playing for 21 minutes on Tuesday during the goalless draw with Algeria.

The newspaper noted that Marcelo Bielsa, the Uruguay national team manager, has become reluctant to select Nunez, given the limited playing time he has received with Al-Hilal in recent weeks.

This hesitation threatens Nunez’s participation in the 2026 World Cup finals, even if he makes the final squad, as the Argentine manager will rely on other players instead of him in the starting line-up.

What makes Núñez’s situation difficult is the goal drought he has endured with the Uruguay national team over the past two years.

The Al-Hilal striker has not scored for Uruguay since their 5-0 victory over Bolivia in the second round of the group stage at the 2024 Copa América on 28 June the year before last.

Since then, Nunez has featured in 13 matches for Uruguay, starting in most of them, but has failed to score or assist any goals.

The newspaper concluded its report by emphasising that Núñez’s real struggles began when he moved to Al-Hilal during the last summer transfer window.

The newspaper called on Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director, to bring the Uruguayan striker back to the English club next summer.