There was a sense of deja vu at Anfield on Monday as supporters watched Darwin Nunez channel his inner Luis Suarez on his home debut for the club. The club's record signing was shown a second-half red card in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace for headbutting Joachim Andersen. It brought a really sour end to a tough first appearance at Anfield for Nunez, who had also missed a couple of great chances prior to his dismissal.
Luckily for the 23-year-old, his team-mates were able to rescue a point against the Eagles but his moment of madness was not to be forgotten. Since the incident, Suarez has confirmed that he reached out to his compatriot with some important advice on how to deal with Premier League defenders.
What did Suarez tell Nunez?
Despite never being shown a red card during his three-and-a-half years on Merseyside, the former Liverpool hero was never too far from controversy. In the age of VAR, his on-field punishments would have been much stricter, especially when he shockingly decided to bite Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in 2013.
Although, Suarez was the first to acknowledge that he might not be best placed to offer advice as he confirmed his contact with Nunez. He told Telemundo: "With what happened to him the other day I was talking to him because he is just starting out and to make him aware that from now on, opponents will be seeking him out twice or three times more often.
“Even more so in England, he’s hearing this from an idiot who makes mistakes and suffers for them, but falling down and getting up again made me stronger. Don’t give them any more chances, it will only get worse.”
When will Nunez be back for Liverpool?
As Nunez was sent off for violent conduct, he will now miss Liverpool's next three matches. That includes the trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United as well as home games against Bournemouth and Newcastle.
Incidentally - unless his ban is extended - the young striker will be back for the Merseyside derby. By that stage, Suarez has backed his successor to have learned his lesson. He added: “Darwin is someone who listens a lot.
"He is very smart that way and I think he will try to turn this situation around, it’s not a big deal, we have all made mistakes, we have all been sent off. The problem is that he’s only just arrived over there and in England, to put it lightly, they make a big deal out of everything,”
