Liverpool and Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez explained that he will wear the number 9 shirt for his country's national team after the approval of veteran star Luis Suarez.
Suarez will miss the national team after he was excluded by Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, coach of the Uruguay national team.
Darwin said in statements to ESPN: “I asked Luis Suarez to wear the number 9 shirt for the Uruguay national team and he agreed to do so.”
He added, "If Suarez returns to the national team, he will definitely have the right to wear the number 9 shirt."
Bielsa announced his team's list to compete in international competitions this September.
The list was as follows:
Goalkeepers: Sergio Rocher (Brazilian Internacional) - Franco Israel (Sporting Lisbon, Portugal) - Santiago Mele (Colombian Junior)
Defense line: Santiago Bueno (Wolverhampton, England) - Bruno Mendes (Corinthians, Brazil) - Sebastian Caceres (Club America, Mexico) - Jose Luis Rodriguez (Vasco da Gama, Brazil) - Matias Oliveira (Napoli, Italy) - Joaquín Pequerez (Palmeras, Brazil) - Matias Venia (Sassuolo, Italy) - Lucas Olaza (Krasnodar, Russia)
Midfield: Nathan Nandez (Cagliari, Italy) - Felipe Carballo (Gremio, Brazil) - Emiliano Martinez (Midtjylland, Denmark) - Manuel Ugarte (Paris Saint-Germain, France) - Maximiliano Araujo (Toluca, Mexico) - Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Spain) - Nicolas De La Cruz (Argentine River Plate)
Wings and attack: Agustin Canopio (Atletico Paranaense, Brazil) - Facundo Torres (Orlando City, USA) - Brian Rodriguez (Club America, Mexico) - Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United) - Cristian Oliveira (Los Angeles, USA) - Maximiliano Gomez (Cádiz) - Darwin Nunez (Liverpool, England)
The Uruguay national team will play against Chelsea and Ecuador on September 9 and 13 as part of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Argentine Bielsa took over Uruguay last May, and has played two friendly matches with him so far.
The Celeste beat Cuba (2-0) and Nicaragua (4-1) last June.