Slot already has perfect Darwin Nunez solution after Ronaldo frustration

When he was drawing up his plans for his first summer in charge of Liverpool, Arne Slot wouldn’t have been expecting to have one of his stars facing a lengthy ban.

That’s the scenario potentially facing Darwin Nunez though after his Copa America semi-final fight. The 25-year-old was seen jumping into the crowd as tensions escalated following Uruguay’s defeat to Colombia in North Carolina.

Nunez led a group of Uruguay players as a brawl broke out in the stands, with players’ families having to be lifted to safety onto the pitch. The Liverpool striker clashed with Colombia supporters, and even appeared to be hit by one of the fans in the process.

READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Dani Olmo release clause, Joao Neves offers, Virgil van Dijk latest

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp’s warning will haunt Philippe Coutinho as ex-Liverpool star makes transfer return

The incident appeared to shake up Nunez, who was then seen comforting his young son on the pitch, while Luis Diaz and Luis Suarez both consoled him. Worse may yet come for the forward though.

The scenes were condemned by CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body, and there are suggestions now that Nunez could face a lengthy ban for his part in the brawl.

That could give Slot a major headache as he plans for the 2024/25 season – his first in charge of the Reds since being confirmed as Jurgen Klopp’s successor. Fortunately, he does have options should he need to replace Nunez in the short-term.

Diogo Jota should link back up with his Liverpool teammates soon, having exited Euro 2024 at the quarter-final stage with Portugal. It proved to be a frustrating tournament for the 27-year-old, who failed to start any of his country’s five games in Germany.

Instead, he was forced to watch on from the bench as Roberto Martinez stuck steadfastly with Cristiano Ronaldo, despite the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star not scoring in over 480 minutes of football at the tournament, and offering very little else to his team.

But Jota’s loss could be Liverpool’s gain this summer. The former Wolves man has had more than his fair share of injury problems during his time at Anfield, and the thought of him playing more football this summer would have had plenty of supporters fearing the worst.

His lack of playing time though could be of benefit to Slot. He will now be getting arguably the Reds’ most clinical finisher fully fit and raring to go for the new season, and he might well need him if Nunez is unavailable.

Martinez’s failure to give Jota a chance may well have cost Portugal a shot at another European crown – there were plenty of people arguing that he would have offered more than Ronaldo during the tournament. Liverpool won’t be complaining now though as the Portuguese looks to prove a point to his national team.