Arne Slot, already into his second international break as the Liverpool head coach, might have breathed a sigh of relief as Darwin Nunez's international prospects received the green light.

Caught in controversy following a tumultuous semi-final at the Copa America in the United States in the summer, Nunez saw himself slapped with a five-match suspension last month. The fracas involving players and fans led to Nunez being banned.

But on Friday, Uruguay's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport paid off, thrusting Nunez back into contention for crunch World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Ecuador. While the reprieve might be temporary, with more developments yet to unfold, Nunez is back with the squad on standby, ready to play his part.

Liverpool 'transfer target' scores four goals in one game to put FSG on notice Liverpool winners and losers from Arne Slot's first 10 games as Ryan Gravenberch shines amid Alisson doubts Slot had already weighed in pre-appeal, signaling his eagerness for Nunez to don the Uruguay colors. "I would have preferred him to go because I think it is always good for a player to go to his national team," he had said. "They like to see their teammates again."

The Dutch coach has also pondered back-up plans, with the potential for a behind-closed-doors fixture for those missing out on national team selection, according to the Liverpool ECHO- a move that could have kept Nunez match-fit. Instead, though, some competition action should hopefully do the 25-year-old good.

The coach reflected on the player's situation before the ban was overturned, saying: "He would have probably played two games - at least one - but I think both because he is a starter over there and like you guys are telling me constantly, he hasn't started that much over here. It would have been good for him to get some playing time there.

Liverpool.com says: Nunez needs to have a good season after two mixed ones since he arrived at Anfield. The goal tallies have never been too bad but there has been far too many missed chances from the Uruguayan and he has never found that much consistency. His first task, though, is to get ahead of Diogo Jota in the pecking order.

Going away with his country and hopefully getting plenty of minutes will only boost his chances of getting back into rhythm again. And with so many big fixtures coming, there will be lots of opportunities there for him to take. It will be up to Nunez to ensure that he makes the most of the chances he is given and finds the back of the net as regularly as he should with the shots he takes.