Nuxt not recognizing directory in interpolated route

Question

I am attempting to create an image link in Nuxt component

 <NuxtLink
            v-if="player?.image_url"
            :to="`/players/${player.slug}`"
            >
          <img
            class="w-16 h-16 rounded-full object-cover border border-rgba-blackLight"
            :src="player?.image_url"
            :alt="player?.fullName"
          />
        </NuxtLink>

the image displays, but the link is undefined.

no error in console. Intellij complains it cannot resolve directory "`" or "players"

The page I am trying to link to is located at pages/players/[:slug]