Nunez gesture reveals ‘particular difficulty’ with Klopp, physique language guru claims
Liverpool fans are livid with Darwin Nunez after the striker appeared to not clap Jurgen Klopp during his guard of honour on Sunday.
Klopp bowed out as Liverpool boss with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolves, bringing his nine-and-a-half-year spell with the club to an end after previously announcing in January he would resign at the end of the season.
Liverpool fans, staff and players serenaded Klopp as the curtain closed on his time as Reds’ boss. But footage of the German’s guard of honour showed Nunez fail to applaud the manager who brought him to Merseyside – just weeks after he deleted all Liverpool references on his Instagram.
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Fans spotted the Uruguayan’s subdued reception for his boss and made no bones about how they felt towards the awkward situation. One wrote: “Every player clapped as Klopp made his way through the guard of honour. All except one. The same player that couldn’t have looked less interested during his final post-match team talk.”
A second added: “So ungrateful. Darwin would’ve been shipped off after a year if it wasn’t for Klopp. Show some respect or get out man.” While a third quipped about the striker’s wastefulness in front of goal: “He missed the timing!”
What do you make of Darwin Nunez’s reaction? Let us know in the comments section.
Body language expert Darren Stanton told OLBG that Nunez’s reaction highlighted that he has a ‘definite issue’ with Klopp. He said: “Darwin Nunez definitely displays non-compliance behaviour, which means the person wants to be separate from the ongoing moment, which is congratulating Jurgen Klopp.
“It looks like there’s no love lost between them, so to speak, and obviously, the action to not clap for Klopp is proportionate to how he feels inside.
(Image: Getty Images)
“I think we can all see there is a definite issue between the player and manager, the one way to show your displeasure is by not participating with the rest of the team. There is a definite cold shoulder being shown to Klopp.”
Nunez scored 18 times in 54 games in all competitions this season, but his form towards the end of the campaign saw him left out of the side at the expense of Cody Gakpo. The 24-year-old scored only once in the Reds’ last 11 games in the league, with his only goal in that run coming against bottom-of-the-league Sheffield United. He finished the season with 11 league goals.
