Marcelino Nunez has re-entered the scene at Norwich City, and David Wagner is determined to prevent a recurrence of his recent red card incident during international duty with the Chilean national team.
Nunez had to sit out the weekend’s Championship defeat to Leeds after his return from South America but is now part of Wagner’s plans for Middlesbrough’s upcoming match at Carrow Road on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old was part of two noteworthy World Cup qualifiers for Chile. He contributed to a 2-0 victory over Peru, scoring his fourth international goal, but found himself sent off in a 3-0 loss to Venezuela after receiving a second yellow card for an incident involving the match official.
La actitud con el árbitro de Marcelino Nuñez 🇨🇱 en su insólita expulsión!
Qué le dirías en el vestuario si fuese compañero tuyo? pic.twitter.com/K0xex8pmfd
— Walter Queijeiro (@wqueijeiro) October 17, 2023
Wagner addressed the situation, saying, “I’ve had a conversation with him, and we both agreed that what happens in Chile should stay in Chile. I’ve seen the video footage, and he acknowledges his mistake. It’s essential not to touch the referee, even if it wasn’t aggressive in nature, if that makes sense. He needs to respect the referee’s decisions at this moment.”
“I assured him that I’ll support him, trust him, and believe in him. As a club, we’ll stand behind him because he’s our player. This is how we’ll handle this incident from Chile. Nacho arrived late and was too fatigued to make the Leeds squad due to all the flights and jet lag from the time zone changes. He’ll be prepared for the upcoming game.”
Nunez hasn’t played for Norwich since August 29 due to a left ankle injury suffered while representing Chile in the previous international window. While he’ll be suspended for Chile’s next match against Paraguay in November, this ban doesn’t extend to his participation with Norwich.
Nunez’s disciplinary issues earned criticism from his national team manager, Eduardo Berizzo, who stated, “Many young players are joining the national team. They must quickly learn that this level demands avoiding mistakes. Mistakes led us away from the desired outcome. It completely disrupts the game, especially when we had started the second half with dominance. Playing with ten players penalizes you significantly at this level. I don’t know the specifics of the reaction or the second card, but pushing the referee is unequivocally wrong.”
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