Jurgen Klopp avoids new Liverpool headache with Darwin Nunez and Wataru Endo after Old Trafford
Jurgen Klopp will be relieved that he can’t be hit by another selection headache in his Liverpool squad as a result of accumulated bookings.
The Premier League’s final yellow card amnesty of the season follows the upcoming weekend’s fixtures, the Liverpool Echo reports (9 April), and with regular starters Darwin Nunez and Wataru Endo both currently on eight each they can no longer land a suspension before it takes effect, unless they are sent off.
Had either the Uruguayan striker or the Japanese midfielder been cautioned in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford (7 April) they would have risked missing the next two games if they repeated the feat at Selhurst Park on Sunday (14 April) against Crystal Palace.
Although he can be wasteful there is no clear replacement in the Liverpool squad for Nunez as a number nine, and while the likes of Cody Gakpo or Diogo Jota could fill in the former Benfica man’s 18 goals and 13 assists in all competitions show he has stepped up his contributions this term.
Endo’s low-key arrival in the summer after the club missed out on both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea has proven a steal, and the 31-year-old’s regular Premier League starts for Klopp since December shows his importance to the German.
The Japanese captain’s presence is steady in itself but arguably has a greater influence in allowing the likes of Alexis Mac Allister thrive in a more advanced position rather than be shackled in the holding role, so his continued availability could be key.
Liverpool pair come through Manchester United draw without issue
Much has been made of the extensive injury issues that have afflicted the Reds this season and when the likes of Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are finally returning from long lay-offs the last thing Klopp would need is other important players getting themselves ruled out.
The dropped points at Old Trafford are clearly the more concerning development in the Premier League race, as Klopp looks to sign off his Anfield reign with a title win.
Although Liverpool remain joint top with Arsenal on 71 points, with Manchester City one point further back in third, the goal-difference of plus-42 is some way short of the Gunners’ plus-51.
With seven games to go and a run of four winnable fixtures next up, with Palace, followed by Fulham, the Merseyside derby at Everton, and then West Ham, the Reds boss needs all hands on deck.
So at least one seemingly innocuous but potentially major pitfall has been avoided at a crucial time, assuming Nunez and Endo, or anyone else for that matter, avoids a serious infraction in South London.
In other Liverpool news, season ticket prices are set to rise for the new campaign.
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