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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Victor

Darwin Nunez return date with Liverpool striker's Premier League ban starting vs Man Utd

Liverpool will be without Darwin Nunez for their Premier League trip to Old Trafford after the striker was sent off against Crystal Palace.

The Uruguay international, who joined Liverpool from Benfica over the summer for what could become a club record fee, was shown a straight red card for a headbutt on Joachim Andersen. Jurgen Klopp's side were 1-0 down at the time of the incident, but were able to escape with a point thanks to Luis Diaz's equaliser.

Klopp was already without Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota for Monday's game, though the Brazilian could be available for their next outing. And, with Nunez missing for a while after his dismissal, Firmino's return can't come soon enough.

Klopp appeared unsure of the length of Nunez's ban in the immediate aftermath of the game. However, with the offence coming under the category of violent conduct - and with it being the player's first red card offence of the season - he will miss three games.

The first of those is the trip to Old Trafford, where Liverpool will hope for a repeat of last season's resounding victory and pick up their first win of the season. Nunez will also miss the home games against Bournemouth and Newcastle United, but will be available to return for the Merseyside Derby away to Everton on September 3.

The red card was the first shown to Nunez since he was playing for Almeria in the Spanish second tier. His ban only applies to domestic matches, but Liverpool don't begin their Champions League campaign until after his suspension ends anyway.

Will Liverpool miss Nunez when he is suspended? Have your say in the comments section

Darwin Nunez was sent off on his full Premier League debut (AFP via Getty Images)

"He knows he will be challenged in this way, centre-halves will do that, but it is not a reaction we want," Klopp told Sky Sports after the game. "But we will use the time productively. We will use the suspension for physical work to make him strong - not a punishment but to make him stronger."

"We have to use next week to maybe bring one or two back, although I don't know if that is possible," he added. "We have lost Darwin now as well, which does not help, but Bobby [Firmino] might be back, we will see."

Liverpool midfielder James Milner also spoke about the incident, praising the rest of the team for how they responded to going down to 10 men. "He is going to be disappointed in that," the veteran said. "We have to get around him and rally. He will learn from it. The team reacted well and the ground did and got behind us.

"We could have nicked it but it wasn't to be. Good teams react to disappointments and stick together. You see the readiness for the season and the fight. We have had a tough week and preparations have not been ideal. Nobody can deny we have fighting spirit."

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