Darwin Nunez's Saudi spell takes sour turn as he's blocked from playing despite travelling
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SportFootballDarwin NunezDarwin Nunez has encountered yet more issues in Saudi Arabia after he was banned from playing in the AFC Champions LeagueAl-Hilal star Darwin Nunez was banned from playing in the AFC Champions League and won't play again until the World Cup, in a troublesome turn for the former Liverpool man.Nunez joined the Saudi Pro League club in a £46million deal last summer and was expected to make his return to the first team on Monday. Since his Anfield exit, the Uruguayan has faced significant uncertainty after being unregistered by Al-Hilal in February, following Karim Benzema's arrival.This meant that Nunez was unable to participate in domestic fixtures and had been limited to just two appearances in the AFC Champions League.
At the time, manager Simone Inzaghi justified this decision by claiming Benzema was more crucial to his plans than Nunez.READ MORE: Darwin Nunez sends direct message to Liverpool fans after personal issues and Saudi moveREAD MORE: Darwin Nunez's Saudi nightmare after January transfer twist and message to Al-Hilal bossHe said, "The decision was difficult, but that's the job of a coach. This pushed the forward's return to the pitch further out of his sight, from March to April 13.After travelling with the entire squad to face Al-Sadd, Al-Hilal were informed just before the game that Nunez had been booked against Al-Whada on February 16 and was therefore suspended.Inzaghi was forced to omit Nunez from the squad, meaning he didn't even make the bench.
Al-Hilal drew 3-3 with Al-Sadd and were then knocked out on penalties, meaning the Uruguayan will not play for the team again this season.This means it has been 56 days since Nunez last took to the pitch for a competitive club game. However, he was selected for Uruguay's national squad for friendlies against England and Algeria earlier in March.During this international break, Nunez managed just 24 minutes of action.