Hugo Ekitike reportedly ruptured his Achilles tendon in Liverpool’s game against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, an injury that will rule him out of a spot on France’s World Cup roster as a months-long recovery process awaits.
The forward started Liverpool’s match on Tuesday but came off in the 31st minute and exited the game on a stretcher. Mohamed Salah came on in his place to finish things out, the Reds eventually losing 4-0 on aggregate in their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie against the French club.
“Hugo suffered a serious injury on Tuesday evening against PSG,” France head coach Didier Deschamps said in a statement on Wednesday. “The severity of his injury will, unfortunately, prevent him from finishing the season with Liverpool and from participating in the World Cup.”
The specifics of Ekitike’s injury are still to be confirmed by Liverpool since he will undergo a round of tests on Wednesday but it is believed to be a rupture in his Achilles, according to The Athletic, which requires a lengthy recovery process before players return to the pitch. Coach Arne Slot seemed to tease as much Tuesday in his post-match remarks.
“It doesn’t look good,” Slot said. “It’s difficult for me to say how bad. Tomorrow we will investigate this further. Let’s see. This season [before Tuesday’s match] we have played Alex[ander Isak], Florian [Wirtz] and Hugo together for just 88 minutes. We got another 27 minutes tonight. I will be surprised if there are any more minutes this season.”
France lose important World Cup player
Ekitike closes out the season with 17 goals and six assists, easily the most impactful of the Reds’ high-profile summer signings headlined by Isak and Wirtz. His transition from Germany was seamless, living up to his promise after 22 goals and 12 assists for Eintracht Frankfurt the season before following an otherwise tepid start to his career, and turned him into a France international overnight. Ekitike received his first call-up to the senior national team ahead of September’s international window and has since racked up eight caps and two goals, a likely candidate to make the World Cup roster.
The 23-year-old has been part of a group of rising attacking stars integrating themselves into France’s national team at just the right time, a list that includes 22-year-old Manchester City standout Rayan Cherki and 24-year-old Bayern Munich talent Michael Olise. The trio, alongside more established talents like Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, a pair that took part in France’s 2018 World Cup victory, were expected to help France challenge for their third title in North America this summer.
“Hugo is one of about a dozen young players who have made their international debuts in recent months,” Deschamps added. “He had integrated perfectly into the squad, both on and off the pitch. This injury is a massive blow for him, obviously, but also for the French National Team. His disappointment is immense. Hugo will return to his best form-I am absolutely convinced of that. But I wanted to express my full support to him, as well as that of the entire coaching staff. We know he will be fully behind the French team, and we are all thinking of him.”
Though France will not exactly be short-staffed without Ekitike, it is hard to deny his usefulness to a team that are amongst the oddsmakers’ favorites to win the World Cup. Outside of Mbappe, he was arguably France’s most in-form goalscorer and the more options, the merrier for an ambitious team like this one.
France’s group stage schedule
- June 16: France vs. Senegal at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
- June 22: France vs. Iraq at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
- June 26: Norway vs. France at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
What’s next for Liverpool?
Liverpool boasted plenty of attacking talent themselves this season but Slot has been hamstrung by notable injuries to a series of them, as he mentioned after the defeat to PSG on Tuesday. He will now finish out the season with Salah, who will leave the club this summer after an underwhelming campaign, and Isak, who is building match fitness after returning from a leg fracture last week. Where they go from here, though, is up for debate.
The Reds could be with a new coach next season after Slot’s sophomore slump, defined by his inability to build tactical harmony with a new selection of talented players. Beyond a possible managerial change, it is unclear if Liverpool will dip back into the market to replace Salah or add another player to the rotation during Ekitike’s absence – and it may require some extra work if they do go in that direction.
“Now we are losing Mo and Andy Robertson on a free transfer as we lost Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and this model of the club means we need to sell, usually, to buy, so it’s a big challenge,” Slot said. “It was already last season. It’s going to be a challenge in the summer again.”
