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How Darwin Nunez is Performing at Al Hilal Following Liverpool Move

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Liverpool, thanks to their typically brilliant recruitment, are a club steeped in immense history and silverware – but that’s not to say that they’ve always got it right from a player perspective. And Darwin Nunez’s lofty move from Benfica in the summer of 2022 is the perfect example of that: in 143 outings for the Reds, the centre-forward notched 40 goals and 26 assists.

 

His numbers and one-off moments aside, Nunez was not a striker of the level needed by Liverpool, who won their second Premier League title in 2024/25 in Arne Slot’s first season at the Anfield helm. Lifting the title was Nunez’s final hurrah in the red of Liverpool given he was shipped off to Al Hilal over the summer, making way for Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak.

 

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: After Liverpool’s fruitful summer of spending in 2025, Darwin Nunez is now the club’s fourth-most expensive arrival of all time.

 

Still just 26 years of age, Nunez – a 36-cap, 13-goal Uruguay international – has plenty of years left in the tank and a return to the England top flight is certainly on the cards. But (for now at least) he is plying his trade in Saudi Arabia for Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal, a team including the likes of Ruben Neves, Kalidou Kouliably and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

 

A Closer Look at Nunez’s Start to Life in Saudi Arabia

 

 

But how has his start to life in the Middle East been? Since his transfer, Artigas-born Nunez has turned out on just five occasions – but he already has four goals and two assists to boot. His first competitive match for the Saudi Pro League (SPL) outfit came at the end of August, a 2-0 win over Al-Riyadh.

 

Unable to get on the scoresheet on that occasion despite playing 85 minutes, Nunez opened his account in the next match against Al-Qadsiah as Inzaghi’s men picked up a point with a 2-2 draw. His side followed that up with a 3-3 draw with Al-Ahli and the striker in question added an assist to his overally tally, teeing up Malcom in the 24th minute.

 

A knee injury saw him ruled out of Al Hilal’s 3-1 victory over Al-Okhdood – but Nunez is back with a bang after his recent display against Al-Ettifaq. His best display of the 2025/26 campaign thus far, Nunez plundered two goals and an additional assist; and his off-the-ball work was equally impressive.

 

Statistically, the line-leader – who lined up alongside Marcos Leonardo in a two-man striker partnership – took 35 touches of the ball, five of which were in the opposition box, and all three of his shots (100%) were on target.

 

Darwin Nunez’s Statistics vs Al-Ettifaq

 

Minutes

 

90

 

Touches

 

35

 

Goals

 

2

 

Assists

 

1

 

Total shots

 

3

 

Chances created

 

3

 

Successful dribbles

 

1/1 (100%)

 

Passes into final third

 

1

 

Overall rating

 

9.4

 

In addition, he created a total of three chances against Al-Ettifaq and was defensively sound, too, by winning four of his eight (50%) ground duels and pressing from the front. That’s evidenced by his one tackle, two clearances and two recoveries.

 

Given the huge chasm in quality between the Premier League and the Saudi Pro League, there is every chance that Nunez will be utterly prolific for his current employers – and his in-front-of-goal potency could be a key factor in them usurping Al-Ittihad as the champions of Saudi Arabia. Last season, they missed out by just eight points.

 

Al Hilal Fans Wax Poetic About Nunez’s Recent Displays

 

 

Despite failing to make the grade on Merseyside, former Liverpool ace Vladimir Smicer has tipped Nunez to make a return to the Premier League in the years to come. “We may see Darwin Nunez back. He’s a very young player,” he said before heaping praise on the hard-working Uruguayan, who was constantly slammed by the Anfield faithful.

 

“I can see Darwin Nunez coming back one day to the Premier League, and I would be happy to see that because he was a special player, he always gave 100 percent,” he said. “People argue he missed some chances, that happens in football. I was always behind him, but he did make me quite nervous.”

 

Nunez, however, is not only earning rave reviews from Smicer – but the Al Hilal faithful are also more than pleased with how well he’s adapted to life in Saudi Arabia. “You are a special player,” one wrote in response to Nunez’s social media post following their recent 5-0 win over Al-Ettifaq before another thanked him for his efforts:

 

“Congratulations – the best is yet to come! Darwin Nunez delivered a true masterclass today, a complete striker’s performance, strong in both defence and attack, focused and selfless. You played for the team, not for the headlines, a perfect example of passion and teamwork.”

 

Another fan took it one step further by insinuating that he is a better player than Al-Nassr frontman Cristiano Ronaldo by saying, “The man of the match and the best striker in the league, Al Hilal fans trust you and support you strongly.” Another, in their praise for Nunez, kept it simple by writing: “You are a special player.”

 

Liverpool

Highlight HD: It’s been three years since Liverpool FC recorded a massive win over arch-rivals Man United

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⚽ Head-to-Head: Liverpool F.C. vs Manchester United F.C.

This is one of the biggest rivalries in English football (the North-West Derby).

🏆 All-time competitive record

Total matches: 244

Manchester United wins: 92

Liverpool wins: 82

Draws: 71 �

Sports Mole +1

👉 Manchester United lead the overall head-to-head, but Liverpool have been stronger in many recent Premier League meetings.

📊 Premier League head-to-head

Matches: 66

Manchester United wins: 29

Liverpool wins: 20

Draws: 17 �

SI

🕒 Last few meetings

Date

Match

Result

Oct 2025

Liverpool vs Man United

1-2

Jan 2025

Liverpool vs Man United

2-2

Sep 2024

Man United vs Liverpool

0-3

Apr 2024

Man United vs Liverpool

2-2

Mar 2024

Man United vs Liverpool (FA Cup)

4-3

Sports Mole

🔥 Biggest wins in the rivalry

Liverpool: 7-0 vs Man United (2023) — biggest win in the derby. �

Wikipedia

Manchester United: 5-0 vs Liverpool (1946). �

dazn.com

⭐ Top scorer in the fixture

Mohamed Salah – 16 goals for Liverpool (most in the rivalry). �

SI

✅ Summary:

Manchester United lead historically.

Liverpool have had some dominant results in recent years, including the famous 7-0 win in 2023.

If you want, I can also show:

📊 Liverpool vs Man United predicted lineup for their next match

📈 Last 10 matches head-to-head results.

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Liverpool

Decorated Liverpool player set to leave in the summer after club makes big decision

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Liverpool’s decorated player is poised to depart this summer following a major decision by the club.

 

 

 

As uncertainty looms over Mohamed Salah’s future, Liverpool may face one of the most crucial choices in their recent history this summer.

 

 

 

According to Football Insider, the club might consider allowing the Egyptian superstar to leave if a significant offer comes in from the Saudi Pro League.

 

 

 

Salah, who has epitomized Liverpool’s attacking prowess for nearly ten years, remains one of the most celebrated figures in the club’s modern history.

 

 

 

However, with the forward nearing the final year of his contract and entering the twilight of his career, Liverpool’s management must determine whether to prolong his tenure or start strategizing for life after their iconic No. 11.

 

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Liverpool

News Arne Slot press conference: ‘Massive game’ at Wolves, late goals and Liverpool’s approach

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NewsArne Slot press conference: ‘Massive game’ at Wolves, late goals and Liverpool’s approach

 

Arne Slot looked ahead to ‘a massive game for us’ as he previewed Friday’s Emirates FA Cup tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

 

The Reds make a second trip of the week to Molineux in the fifth round, having suffered a late defeat when the sides met in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

 

A range of questions were put to Slot when he held his pre-match press conference on Thursday morning – read a summary below.

 

Florian Wirtz injury update

 

On conceding late goals and how that can be managed…

 

It’s a real concern if you lose, and if you lose many times in the same manner it’s even more a concern. But the way we concede goals in these last minutes are not always similar. Sometimes it’s a set-piece, now and against Fulham it was a shot from outside the box. Those are not big chances you gave away. So, you always try to prevent the other team from getting big chances. This is what we do in general quite well. But unfortunately for us, it has led to two goals conceded [on Tuesday].

 

Is it our approach? Not too sure about that because, yes, we want to win that game and I think that’s quite normal. If you’re Liverpool, you play away at Wolves, you just scored the 1-1, you’re trying to win the game. But it isn’t as if we bring Virgil [van Dijk] or Ibou [Konate] forward. We just still play in this situation in our own formation. Which in the past sometimes we did add an attacker instead of a defender, but recently when we conceded we didn’t do that.

 

 

On the importance of this game ‘in the context of the season now’ and with the Champions League coming up on Tuesday…

 

We always found every game we play very important and we always find every trophy we can win very important. So, last season we tried to win four and this season we tried to win four as well. But two are not possible anymore, the Premier League and the League Cup. So the other two we are in, we try to win it, as we’ve always tried at this club. And of course for us qualification for the Champions League is massive, as we all know. But that’s not on the line tomorrow. Tomorrow the FA Cup is on the line and that’s a massive game for us.

 

On Liverpool’s reaction after going behind at Wolves on Tuesday and ‘why you couldn’t take that approach earlier in the game’…

 

It’s not the perfect word to use because it’s not what I feel, but I cannot come up with another one: I’m almost annoyed if you say ‘that approach’. Because the approach is not different, the approach is we want to have the ball as much as possible, and we want to have it back as soon as possible. So, we always press high and when we have the ball we try to attack. Then, that in the final part when we have the ball in the same position it leads to chances as it didn’t happen in the first 70 or 80 minutes, that is something I see as well. But that’s not down to approach. Or maybe we don’t understand each other exactly when you mean ‘approach’.

 

But we don’t approach the game by saying, ‘OK, in the first 70 minutes, we don’t want to have the ball or we don’t want to attack.’ No, we do. That it doesn’t lead to anything, that we completely agree on. But that might also be due to the fact that an opponent is fitter in the start of the game than in the end. Maybe, I don’t know, that they became a bit more like, ‘Oh, we’re 1-0 up so let’s be even more defensive, let’s give them a bit of more space.’ Or there’s more urgency with us. But it’s never the approach. We always start the game in the same way and we play it in the same way.

 

But that there is a difference between the last 10 minutes in chance creation compared to the first 80, that’s clear. There’s no difference in the approach. If you mean that I approach it like, ‘OK, let’s stay calm and let’s wait, wait, wait.’ No, no, no. ‘Attack as much as you can.’ That’s also what you see in the game. We bring enough players forward, but that we’re not able from all the ball possession to create a lot of chances, that’s not something new to me. That has happened throughout the whole season.

 

On ‘options he has to change it up’ on Friday…

 

We have a few, but we don’t have 11, as you know. But we do have a few options. I always have options to bring in and players you can bring in, you can also let them start. So we do have a few options. But again, not for the first time this season that three days after a game we’ve again dropped points. And that is something I’ve seen us doing quite a lot this season. And now it’s again three days after the last one. So, we have to be better than we were the last time we played Wolves.

 

 

On saying in midweek he told the players they could move the ball quicker from side to side, and if he has to reinforce that message…

 

But my job is so much easier than theirs because I’m standing there on the sides and I can see everything, and they are in full action and the distances from the team are really small. So, really tight areas. And for me to zoom out and see it and then walk to my iPad and see it even better, then showing it at half-time, ‘OK, boys, there is more space than you think to play it from side to side.’ That’s easier said than done. But don’t think that before the game I tell them, ‘Let’s stay as long as we can on the same side. Let’s try to stay as long over there. And please, Virgil, Ibou, never play a ball forward, just play it as long as you can towards each other.’ No, that would be as ridiculous as we both know it is.

 

But sometimes it is showing them. But maybe showing them has no influence at all, it’s just more that after 45 minutes the other team gets a bit more tired. So maybe the No.9 doesn’t close down the ball towards the midfield anymore, so you can switch it through the midfield where in the first 45 minutes he does and then you need to go around. And if you have to go around by your centre-backs, it always takes longer to be on the opposite side than when you can go through. And that sometimes has to do with the fact that if players get tired, they don’t close gaps as much anymore as they do in the first half, and sometimes it just needs another emphasis on it to show.

 

But I’m not a tactical genius if I tell them to go faster from side to side, everyone can tell this to them. And that’s what we say before the game and after the game. But you play against an opponent as well that tries to prevent you from playing the ball from side to side.

 

On if ‘knowing what you know now, you would have made different decisions about the composition of the squad coming into the season or you have been unlucky with injuries and the timing, and adaptation of certain players’…

 

Yeah, you’ve already given the answer to me. I’m so happy what we’ve done last summer. We signed such great players. But some of them needed some time to adapt and some of them have mainly been injured. That’s not something you can predict. Yeah, adaptation you can predict because that’s what we knew. But that some signings and some others got some long-term injuries, that’s not something you can predict. But it’s the model we are having that we are not having 25 players over here. We have a different model over here. And then it hurts even more if you have three or four long-term injuries and, at the moment, even more than that.

 

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