Liverpool issue Hugo Ekitike injury statement as Arne Slot sent new transfer demand

Liverpool person confirmed the devastating quality that Hugo Ekitike has suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and volition miss the upcoming World Cup with France.

The striker went down of his ain accord successful Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League nonaccomplishment to Paris Saint-Germain, sparking contiguous interest from players connected some sides.

Ekitike was seen making a snapping motion with his hands to the Liverpool physios, suggesting that helium had suffered a superior Achilles oregon ankle contented earlier being stretchered disconnected the field.

Following assorted reports claiming that the France planetary had so sustained a season-ending rupture, Liverpool confirmed the diagnosis successful a aesculapian update connected Thursday morning.

"Liverpool FC tin corroborate Hugo Ekitike has sustained a superior Achilles injury," the Reds said successful a statement. "The guardant had to beryllium substituted during the archetypal fractional of Tuesday's Champions League lucifer against Paris Saint-Germain astatine Anfield aft a gaffe connected the turf.

Liverpool corroborate Achilles tendon wounded for Hugo Ekitike

"Scans connected the contented person subsequently confirmed a rupture of the Achilles tendon. Ekitike volition truthful beryllium sidelined for the remaining weeks of the nine play and incapable to enactment astatine this summer's World Cup with France.

"Further updates volition beryllium provided astatine the due time, with Hugo receiving the afloat enactment of everyone astatine LFC."

Ekitike's debut Liverpool play comes to a premature extremity with the Frenchman boasting 17 goals and six assists from 45 matches for Arne Slot's side, including 11 strikes successful 28 Premier League fixtures.

The 23-year-old volition not lone miss the remainder of the play and the World Cup, but besides the archetypal fractional of the 2026-27 season, arsenic his full betterment process is expected to instrumentality betwixt 8 and 9 months.

Ekitike joins Alisson Becker, Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni successful the Liverpool attraction room, though the erstwhile is expected to instrumentality to enactment earlier the extremity of the month.

Do Liverpool request to motion different striker aft Hugo Ekitike blow?

When it rains it pours astatine Anfield, and the downfall was surely torrential successful some the literal and figurative consciousness connected Tuesday, arsenic Liverpool mislaid their apical scorer to the cruellest of cruel injuries.

Arne Slot has astatine slightest welcomed Alexander Isak backmost from his December limb fracture, but the Swede has lone been gathering his fittingness backmost up dilatory and was permitted to play conscionable 45 minutes against PSG successful midweek.

Ekitike's wounded truthful raises different interest for Slot erstwhile it comes to managing Isak's fitness, arsenic Jayden Danns has besides been plagued by hamstring issues of late, but Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah are alternatives successful the fig 9 position, for this play astatine least.

However, Liverpool volition presently spell into adjacent play with Isak arsenic their lone elder fig 9 for the archetypal fractional of the campaign, truthful Ekitike's crushing stroke could unit the Reds to participate the marketplace for an established backup - beryllium it connected a imperishable oregon short-term indebtedness deal.

Liverpool could alternatively beforehand 18-year-old endowment Will Wright, who boasts 9 extremity involvements from 14 Premier League 2 games for the Under-21s this season, but a caller elder centre-forward indispensable surely present beryllium connected Richard Hughes's agenda.