1 month ago
The Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike will miss nan remainder of nan play and nan World Cup pinch nan wounded he sustained against Paris Saint-Germain connected Tuesday, Didier Deschamps has confirmed.
Ekitike suffered a suspected achilles tendon rupture successful nan first half of Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final 2nd limb conclusion and could beryllium sidelined until adjacent twelvemonth arsenic a result. The afloat grade of nan 23-year-old’s wounded has not been confirmed – he underwent scans connected Wednesday and Liverpool are expected to supply an update later this week – but nan caput coach of nan France nationalist squad has ruled Ekitike retired of his plans for this summer’s World Cup.
“Hugo suffered a superior wounded against PSG connected Tuesday night,” said Deschamps, whose squad play group games against Senegal, Iraq and Norway successful nan United States. “Unfortunately, nan severity of his wounded will forestall him from finishing nan play pinch Liverpool and from taking portion successful nan World Cup.”
Ekitike is Liverpool’s starring goalscorer this play pinch 17 goals successful each competitions and his absence represents different superior rustle to Arne Slot pinch six games remaining to unafraid Champions League qualification.
The guardant was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt past summertime successful a woody that could emergence to £79m and has been nan prime of Liverpool’s costly recruitment drive. The 2nd limb against PSG, 1 of Ekitike’s erstwhile clubs, was only nan 2nd clip that nan forward, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz had started a crippled together for Liverpool and nan first clip they had done truthful astatine Anfield. The trio, signed for a imaginable £320m successful total, person shared a transportation for simply 115 minutes this season.
Ekitike’s absence increases nan value of Isak getting up to velocity aft 4 months retired pinch a fractured limb and ankle injury. A semipermanent layoff besides impacts Liverpool’s plans for adjacent play pinch Mohamed Salah leaving Anfield this summer.
