Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has revealed how club legend Steven Gerrard talked him out of forcing a move to Arsenal in 2013, and has backed Darwin Nunez to rehabilitate himself into one of the best strikers in the world.
Suarez recalls Arsenal transfer saga
Suarez was banished from the Reds squad by then-manager Brendan Rodgers in 2013 after expressing his determination to complete a transfer to the Emirates. He later changed his mind under advice from Gerrard and went on to deliver the best season of his Liverpool career before moving to Barcelona the following summer.
Speaking to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Suarez compared his situation to that of Julian Alvarez, who has expressed a desire to move from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona during the ongoing World Cup.
Suarez said: "These are situations you force at a certain point. I experienced it at Liverpool. In 2013, I forced my way out because I wanted to go to Arsenal. I argued with the club because we weren't qualifying for the Champions League, and I felt I needed to take the next step."
Gerrard's intervention
"I remember the captain, Gerrard, grabbing me and saying 'Stay. Next year you can go wherever you want: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern... but this year, please, stay. You can't go to Arsenal'. And he convinced me," Suarez added.
"And in this case, the same thing could happen with Julian: Cholo (Atletico boss Diego Simeone) could grab him and say 'This year I want you to stay with us'."
"I was convinced by a Liverpool legend, the captain. I came to my senses, then I went out and apologised, and it ended up being my best season at the club. Even if you (tried to) force your way out, if people then go onto the pitch and see you give your all, work hard, and defend the club, they end up applauding you."
Suarez backs Nunez to bounce back
In the same interview, Suarez selected Erling Haaland and Harry Kane as his favourite strikers at present, along with Nunez, who has had a difficult time since leaving Liverpool last summer for Al-Hilal. Nunez was dropped by the Saudi Pro League team from their squad for the second half of the domestic season and has struggled to get up to speed during the early games in the World Cup with Uruguay.
Suarez said of his compatriot: "The first thing he has to do is change his mentality, strengthen it, because for me he has spectacular qualities. He knows the decision he made leaving Liverpool, but I see him as a player who can be fully recovered. If he reaches his best level, he's a striker I love. He's fast, he's strong, he has power. There are aspects of the game he can still correct because he's young and still has room to grow."
