Darwin Nunez banned from Al-Hilal return as ex-Liverpool star's time in Saudi gets worse
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SportFootballDarwin NunezDarwin Nunez was set to return for Al-Hilal on Monday but was suspended at the last minuteDarwin Nunez has been handed a ban from the AFC Champions League after travelling with the Al-Hilal squad. This has left the ex-Liverpool forward facing an agonising wait until the World Cup before he can play competitive football again.Nunez completed a £46million move to the Saudi Pro League outfit last summer and had been expected to make his comeback to first-team action on Monday.
Since departing Anfield, the Uruguayan has endured considerable turmoil after being unregistered by Al-Hilal in February, following the arrival of Karim Benzema.As a result, Nunez was frozen out of domestic fixtures and limited to just two appearances in the AFC Champions League. Latest Reds news and more on our dedicated Facebook pageREAD MORE: Mohamed Salah's dream Liverpool exit collapses after Jamie Carragher Anfield farewell commentsREAD MORE: Wayne Rooney levels brutal accusation at Arne Slot's Liverpool players after PSG Champions League exit"Nunez and Pablo Mari are good players.
I want them in all competitions, but we know the restrictions on registering foreign players."To make matters worse, the Asian Football Confederation suspended the AFC Champions League due to the ongoing unrest in the Middle East, pushing the striker's anticipated return back from March to April 13.Having travelled with the full squad to face Al-Sadd, Al-Hilal were informed moments before kick-off that Nunez had picked up a booking against Al-Whada on February 16 and was consequently suspended.Inzaghi was compelled to exclude Nunez from the squad, meaning he didn't even feature among the substitutes. Al-Hilal drew 3-3 with Al-Sadd before being eliminated on penalties, which means the Uruguayan won't represent the side again this campaign.This means it has been 56 days since Nunez last appeared in a competitive club fixture.