Real Madrid News
Liverpool striker a doubt for Real Madrid encounter due to shoulder injury
Liverpool warmed up for their upcoming UEFA Champions League Round of 16 encounter against Real Madrid with an important win over Newcastle United.
However, the victory came at a cost for Jurgen Klopp & co. as striker Darwin Nunez seems to have picked up a shoulder injury, which has now cast doubts over his involvement for the Real Madrid clash.
“Nunez has hurt his shoulder and he needs further assessment,” Klopp said after the game, as quoted by ESPN. “We don’t know any more at the moment, we will have to see, but it is painful for him.”
Nunez was on target today as Liverpool defeated Newcastle United 2-0 to move up to eighth place in the Premier League standings.
However, the Uruguayan international had to be taken off close to the hour mark due to the aforementioned shoulder injury.
Further tests will be carried out over the next couple of days to determine the extent of the striker’s injury and decide whether he will be available to play against Real Madrid.
Liverpool recently welcomed back star defender Virgil van Dijk from injury, but Nunez’s absence could come as a blow for Klopp & co. especially with Luis Diaz’s availability far from certain.
Nunez joined Liverpool in the summer in a club-record transfer from SL Benfica but has not had it easy in England. So far, he has netted six goals in 17 Premier League matches while he also has three in six Champions League outings.
It remains to be seen whether he recovers in time for Tuesday’s clash against Real Madrid, who themselves are sweating over the fitness of Toni Kroos.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
