Darwin Nunez has endured a difficult spell since leaving Liverpool for Al-Hilal in a £46 million transfer last summer. The Uruguayan striker, who won the Premier League title with the Reds, has been axed from Al-Hilal's domestic squad after the club signed Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema in February.
Nunez managed only six goals in 17 Saudi Pro League appearances before being replaced in the starting line-up by Benzema. Saudi clubs are restricted to eight foreign players born before 2003 in their domestic 25-man roster, and manager Simone Inzaghi deemed Benzema more important to his plans.
Rumours circulated that Nunez considered leaving the club after just six months, with interest from Fenerbahce and Flamengo, but no transfer materialised. He is expected to depart in the summer. However, he remains fully registered for the Asian Champions League.
In his most recent appearance on February 16, Nunez scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Al-Wahda and sent a pointed message to the club's owner. He stared towards the owner's box with a sly grin after scoring. He has not played a competitive match for Al-Hilal in over a month due to the postponement of ACL fixtures.
Nunez earns approximately £20 million annually at Al-Hilal. Despite his struggles, he has nine goals and five assists in 24 appearances across all competitions. Notably, he has not posted any images of himself in Al-Hilal colours on Instagram, though he retains pictures from his Liverpool days.
