Liverpool player takes drastic action on social media after receiving abuse from fans

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has made a drastic decision on social media following criticism of his recent performances.

Nunez, 25, has had to make do with a bit-part role at Liverpool since Arne Slot's arrival on Merseyside this summer.

The Dutchman has preferred Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah in his starting line-up, leaving the likes of Cody Gakpo and Nunez short on minutes in the early weeks of the campaign.

Uruguay international Nunez, who joined Liverpool in a deal worth up to £85m in 2022, is yet to score this season and has managed only 84 minutes of first-team action.

He was brought on during the second-half of Tuesday's Champions League clash with AC Milan but struggled to make an impact as Liverpool won 3-1 at San Siro.

Nunez received criticism on social media for his performance and has now made his Instagram account private in the wake of the abuse.

It's not the first time the former Benfica striker has reacted online to criticism from fans.

In May, he deleted all Liverpool-related posts from his social media accounts. It coincided with him being linked with a move away from Anfield.

Nunez later admitted criticism on social media had affected him.

"From the moment you start playing and until you retire, there will always be someone who will criticise you," he told Por la Jersey [via ESPN].

"Before, I did look at them a lot and it affected me.

"Whoever says that those negative comments do not affect them is lying, those negative comments that are directed towards you will always affect you.

"They tell me everything, but I ignore those comments because they are of no use to me. I never look at the negative comments on social media, at least now I'm not looking at anything, not even the good stuff. If a game goes badly for me, I rely on my family."

Liverpool fans have rushed to Nunez's support on social media after his latest decision.

One fan posted on X: "F*** sake did no one learn anything the last time? Leave the guy alone ffs!"

Darwin Nunez has made his Instagram account private (Image: Getty)

"They should stop online abuse," added another.

Since joining Liverpool from Benfica, Nunez has managed 33 goals in 17 assists in 100 games, but has come under fire for his wastefulness in front of goal.

Speaking last month, Liverpool boss Slot said it was up to him and the rest of the squad to get the best out of the Uruguayan.

"If we, as a team, can bring our attackers - not only him, but also the other ones - as much as we can into dangerous positions, these players will score goals," said Slot.

"That's also what we’ve seen in pre-season, where we even scored goals out of smaller chances.

"So it's up to us to bring him [Nunez], or Diogo or other attackers, as much as we can into promising positions for them.

"And then he, like all the others, will score the goals."