Darwin Nunez is not part of the Liverpool squad to face Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday evening, with the striker a surprise absentee from the bench.
Arne Slot has made 10 changes to his starting lineup for the league clash at Molineux, with Diogo Jota the only player retained from the 5-1 win over West Ham in midweek.
Jota was always expected to start up front, having been withdrawn midway through the second half in that Carabao Cup victory.
But Nunez was in line to simply drop out of the starting lineup as Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz came back into Slot’s attack.
Instead, the No. 9 is omitted entirely, with Liverpool confirming his absence comes due to illness.
That leaves Federico Chiesa and Cody Gakpo as Slot’s only attacking options on the bench, with Wataru Endo believed to have profited from Nunez’s absence.
It is the first game Nunez has missed since the 3-0 win over Southampton in last season’s FA Cup fifth round, with a muscle issue seeing the Uruguayan sit out of three games in February including the Carabao Cup final.
There will be a frustration from both player and head coach, with the 25-year-old having shown promising signs in recent weeks.
That included a goal in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth last time out in the league and then an assist for Gakpo in the 5-1 victory at home to West Ham, playing the full 90 minutes in that tie.
Jota operated as a No. 10 against West Ham but will be central striker against his former club, with Salah and Diaz restored out wide.
