Darwin Nunez has apologised for his ‘ugly attitude’ and red card in Liverpool’s shock 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield on Monday evening.
The £85m signing was given his marching orders in his first ever start for the Reds after he headbutted Palace defender Joachim Andersen early in the second half. Due to the headbutt being violent conduct, the forward will miss three domestic games, but the FA may review the footage and decide that Nunez’s ban should be extended.
Nunez has now taken to Twitter following the incident in order to apologise and insist that such an action will not happen again: “I am aware of the ugly attitude I had. I’m here to learn from my mistakes and it won’t happen again.”
The red card was the first of the forward’s short career to date. Speaking after the game to the press Jurgen Klopp stated his disappointment in Nunez:
“There is always a first time,” said Klopp. “But now he has another ‘pre-season’. I don’t know exactly how long he will be suspended. So we will use it for physical work. Not as punishment, just to make him even stronger and that is what we will try.”
Star defender Virgil van Dijk also insisted that the youngster has to learn to control himself on the pitch:
“Obviously he was disappointed and also probably with himself. But it’s a learning curve and obviously we will always back him. He’s got the backing from us and he knows it should not happen again and hopefully it will be that way.
“He has to control himself, definitely. I think that’s a separate thing, he has to manage himself, he has to know that these things can happen, especially in the Premier League. Like I say, it will be a learning curve for him and hopefully it will never happen again.