Simply when Liverpool thought their Champions League quarter-final exit by the hands of Paris Saint-Germain could not get any worse, the membership was hit with some completely surprising information.
Hugo Ekitike is formally set to be out for 9 months after sustaining a critical harm in Tuesday night time’s second-leg defeat at Anfield.
It is a powerful tablet to swallow for everybody concerned on the membership, particularly contemplating the 23-year-old loved a very thrilling debut season on Merseyside.
Within the first half of the high-stakes conflict with PSG, Ekitike appeared to lose his footing on the grass whereas chasing a free ball.
It is a fully non-contact occasion, and as any skilled soccer fan is aware of, that is nearly all the time the worst-case situation.
Visibly in ache, he required rapid medical intervention and was carried off the pitch on a stretcher in entrance of a shocked, silent Anfield crowd.
Liverpool verify seriousness of Ekitike’s harm
He’ll bear corrective surgical procedure simply earlier than embarking on a grueling rehabilitation course of that’s anticipated to maintain him out of aggressive motion till early 2027.
Liverpool confirmed this publicly in a press release:
“Liverpool FC can verify that Hugo Ekitike has sustained a critical harm to his Achilles tendon. The ahead needed to be substituted after slipping on the grass throughout the first half of Tuesday’s Champions League match towards Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield. Subsequent assessments confirmed a ruptured Achilles tendon.”
An enormous setback for the attacker and his group
The timing could not be worse. Ekitike arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt in a blockbuster £69m (€95m) deal final summer time and has totally justified his hefty price ticket.
Earlier than this painful setback, the dynamic ahead had already amassed a powerful report of 17 objectives and 6 assists in 45 appearances, firmly establishing himself as a key focus in Arne Slott’s facet.
Liverpool now must survive the remaining six essential Premier League video games and nearly all of subsequent season with out their most deadly weapon.
With eight senior league caps and two objectives beneath his belt, he was establishing himself as a very dependable choice in France’s entrance line and was just about assured a spot within the World Cup squad.
£80m star desires to maneuver this summer time, giving Liverpool a bonus over Arsenal
