The Uruguayan says he was shocked by Jurgen Klopp’s departure (Picture: Getty)
Darwin Nunez has sought to play down suggestions of a rift between himself and Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool manager’s departure from Anfield.
Klopp brought the curtain down on his nine-year tenure at the club with a 2-0 win over Wolves to close out the Premier League season.
The German paid an extended farewell to the Anfield faithful after the game, but it was Nunez who got eagle-eyed fans talking when he appeared not to clap Klopp during his guard of honour.
Only a few weeks prior, the Uruguayan raised suspicions of unhappiness at the club when he removed all Liverpool-related posts from his Instagram account.
However, the striker, who was videoed alongside Klopp dancing at his farewell party, has set the record straight and said there is no ill will between the pair.
‘We were all a little shocked by Klopp’s departure, no one expected it. It is a shame that he is leaving,’ he said in an interview with El Pais.
‘I personally would have liked for him to leave in a big way, winning things, and it didn’t happen that way. It’s also a shame for the players. I wish him the best in the world.’
Klopp stepped aside after nine years at the helm (Picture: Getty)
Reports have linked Nunez with a surprise move to Barcelona, especially in the wake of him removing all Liverpool photos from his social media.
However, the 24-year-old, who is preparing for this summer’s Copa America, revealed that the decision was not due to a desire to leave Anfield, but rather brought on by abuse he had faced on social media.
‘From the moment you start playing and until you retire, there will always be someone who will criticise you,’ he explained. ‘Before I did look at [the criticism] a lot and it affected me.
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‘Whoever says that those negative comments do not affect them is lying, those negative comments that are directed towards you will always affect you. But now I ignore those comments because they are of no use to me.
‘I’m not looking at anything, not even the good stuff. If a game goes badly for me, I rely on my family. What happened in the game is already there, it’s already happened.’
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