Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez appears to have removed nearly all traces of the club from his Instagram account amid rumours of a possible exit from Anfield this summer.
The Uruguay international has been praised for bringing unpredictability and chaos to the Reds' attack since joining from Benfica in 2022, but his low big-chance conversion rate has been criticised heavily.
Nunez has still managed a respectable 18 goals and 13 assists from 52 matches this term, but he has been guilty of alarming wastefulness in front of goal and has lost his place in Jurgen Klopp's starting lineup in recent weeks.
The former Benfica striker is on a six-game scoring drought in the Premier League and has started just one of the Reds' last four top-flight contests, completing the full 90 in their 2-0 loss to Everton.
Nunez has been forced to accept late cameos in clashes with Fulham, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, and in the latter match, he came out second best in a late one-on-one with Guglielmo Vicario.
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Nunez removes Liverpool posts from Instagram
Nunez's wasted opportunity at the weekend took him up to 27 big chances missed in the current Premier League season - second only to Erling Haaland's 32 - while an offside offence also denied Mohamed Salah his second in injury time.
No player has been caught offside more times than the 24-year-old (32), and he was allegedly the target of online abuse after his forgettable 15 minutes in Sunday's 4-2 win over Spurs.
The morning after the beating of Tottenham, Liverpool fans noticed that Nunez had deleted a plethora of Liverpool-related photos from his Instagram account, where his most recent posts are either Uruguay or family-based.
The only image from his time at Liverpool still up is from when he first joined the Reds in 2022, although his display picture still features his name and number on the back of a Liverpool jersey.
Furthermore, the South American still has the Liverpool account tagged in his bio, but his social media activity has only fuelled speculation over a possible departure amid claims that Barcelona want him to replace Robert Lewandowski this summer.
Should Liverpool fans be reading into Nunez's activity?
Players removing traces of a club from their online accounts can sometimes be a tell-tale sign that a transfer is imminent, and the timing of Nunez's deletions alongside the Barcelona links have naturally sent tongues wagging.
However, the explanation for Nunez's activity may not be transfer-related at all, as the purported online abuse that the striker experienced after the weekend's game would undoubtedly have taken its toll.
From Liverpool's side, Nunez still has four years left to run on his Anfield contract, and the Reds are not believed to be actively trying to sell the Uruguay international, who should be given the chance to prove himself under new boss Arne Slot.
The 24-year-old also has the Copa America to look ahead to when the domestic season is over, and a strong tournament in Uruguayan colours could be the catalyst for improved fortunes in a Liverpool shirt for 2024-25.
Ben Knapton
