Your Liverpool FC morning digest looks at why Darwin Nunez was substituted and Alisson Becker didn’t feature for their international teams this
week.
Here are your Liverpool headlines for Thursday, September 14.
Darwin Nunez ‘muscle problem’ clarified as Liverpool star taken off early for Uruguay
Liverpool may be sweating over Darwin Nunez for their return to Premier League action this weekend after Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa claimed
the forward arrived for international duty with “some muscle problems”.
Nunez was handed a second successive start for Uruguay in their 2-1 defeat against Ecuador on Tuesday night after his impressive display against
Chile on Saturday, in which he grabbed two assists.
But was substituted at half-time of the Celeste’s World Cup qualifier against Ecuador, despite the game being evenly poised at 1-1.
However, former Leeds United boss Bielsa explained in his post-match press conference that he felt it was “necessary” to replace
the Liverpool forward due to being “limited” after apparently arriving for international duty with minor “muscle problems”.
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Alisson double snub explained as Brazil boss makes ‘difficult’ claim for Liverpool keeper
Alisson’s ongoing battle with Ederson for a starting spot at international level is far from over, Brazil’s interim manager has made clear.
The Liverpool goalkeeper was included in the Seleção’s squad for 2026 World Cup qualifiers versus Bolivia and Peru but did not make appearances in
either fixture.
This comes after Alisson was left out of Brazil’s 23-man squad altogether during the previous mid-season international break in March by caretaker
boss Ramon Menezes – a decision even Ederson was left surprised by.
Chosen as the No.1 keeper at the World Cup in Qatar by former national team coach Tite, Alisson now faces a battle on his hands to prove himself to
temporary boss Fernando Diniz as he aims to become the undisputed first-choice.
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‘It’s not over’: Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool could still sign ‘special player’ at some point
Liverpool were linked with so many midfielders during the summer transfer window.
Indeed, as the Reds focused on a midfield rebuild, the rumour mill went into overdrive as every midfielder under the sun was linked with a move to
Anfield.
One player whose name constantly did the rounds was Fluminense’s Andre Trindade.
The young Brazilian is reportedly keen on a move to Anfield, and while a move didn’t come to fruition this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano,
speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, a move to Anfield could be on the cards in the future as the 22-year-old remains a player Liverpool really like.
Andre to Liverpool possible
Romano shared what he knows about Andre.
“No, it’s not over, it’s still something we have to keep an eye on because Liverpool really like Andre. They had positive conversations with
Fluminense, they have good relationships. Fluminense were showing how strong they are in the Brazilian and South American market as they said no
way the player is leaving, so credit to Fluminense, it was not easy, but I think Liverpool will keep monitoring the player, this is a special player, this is
not a normal player, Andre is a very, very good player,” Romano said.
Do they need him?
Andre may be a player Liverpool like, but we can’t help but question whether or not he’s a player Liverpool still need after their summer recruitment drive.
Liverpool signed four midfield players this summer, and, in all honesty, they probably don’t need anymore.
Andre is a talent, but, at the same time, so are Stefan Bajcetic, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, so it’s hard to imagine the Reds will be going for this one in the near future.
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Liverpool have just dropped January transfer hint after naming 22-man Premier League squad
Liverpool have named a 22-man squad for the first half of the Premier League season and it could impact their January transfer business
Liverpool have named a 22-man Premier League squad, but that doesn’t mean they are free to sign three new players willy-nilly in the January
transfer window.
While allowed to name a maximum 25-man squad if complying with homegrown rules, the Reds have registered all 22 of their senior players born
before January 1, 2002. This includes academy players Paul Glatzel and Vitezslav Jaros, along with veteran goalkeeper Adrian, who was left out of
Jurgen Klopp’s Europa League squad.
Each squad must contain no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the league’s ‘homegrown’ criteria, with Liverpool boasting 16 such players.
However, with UEFA’s rules varying to the Premier League, summer signing Ryan Gravenberch and highly-rated youngster Ben Doak, who are
classified as Under-21s players in the English top-flight, need to be registered to feature in the Europa League this season.
As a result, the Reds technically boast 18 overseas players, with Adrian having to be left out of the Europa League squad to make room for the pair.
Consequently, if Liverpool wish to sign any players who don’t qualify as homegrown in January, they would need to sell or drop one of their current
quota to make room for any such signings.
They can sidestep such an issue in the Premier League by signing an Under-21s player, like Gravenberch. But while such a player would then be
eligible to feature in domestic league matches, Klopp would still need to drop a player to make room for them in his Europa League squad.
Meanwhile, Liverpool currently boast six homegrown players with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones and Caoimhin Kelleher making
up that quota along with Glatzel and Jaros.
Considering Glatzel and Jaros have never played for the club and remain way down the pecking order, the Reds could remove either player from their
squad in January to help make room for new signings.
But even though that would leave Klopp with a 20-man squad, that would still limit Liverpool to only being able to sign players who qualify as
homegrown in January, without having to sell or drop any senior players, to complete his squad.
The Reds have been active in January in each of the last four seasons, and five of the last six, signing Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Ozan Kabak, Ben Davies,
Takumi Minamino and Virgil van Dijk. And having failed to sign a new centre-back in the summer, Liverpool could look to strengthen the position
again in mid-season.
Meanwhile, with speculation ongoing regarding the futures of the likes of Mohamed Salah and Thiago Alcantara, it’s possible the Reds look to
strengthen their attacking or midfield ranks with a long-term replacement for either player. Brazil international Andre Trindade is one such
player, with Fluminense already confirming they will be open to selling the Liverpool target in the new year.
But if Klopp does wish to add to his squad in January, then Liverpool will be limited to signing homegrown players unless they are happy to sell or
leave out any overseas players (or Under-21s players from their Europa League squad) to make room for new recruits.
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