Liverpool have been handed a boost as Hugo Ekitike has joined the France national team ahead of their friendlies. The striker was spotted arriving at the training ground on Monday, March 23.
The Reds faithful were left sweating about Ekitike’s fitness over the weekend after the striker had to come off injured in the 8th minute of the Brighton & Hove Albion clash. The forward left the pitch after a collision, and the Reds went on to lose the match 2-1, with Danny Welbeck scoring a brace and Milos Kerkes getting on the scoresheet.
The 23-year-old was called up by Didier Deschamps for France’s upcoming friendlies this month. They face Brazil and Colombia and the Liverpool star is expected to be sharing minutes with Kylian Mbappe.
Arne Slot provided positive feedback on Hugo Ekitike
Arne Slot spoke about Ekitike soon after the Brighton & Hove Albion game, revealing that the striker was only dealing with a dead leg. He said that they were not worried about the striker and were confident that he would be available to play the next day if needed, and said:
“Hugo, I think he could play tomorrow if he needed to. It was a dead leg, as you call it here I think. Brighton did what we expected. If you face a team that has only had 62 hours of rest and the first thing you do is make it an intense game, play the first duels, play tough duels – nothing wrong with the duels, by the way – but unfortunately it was a collision and that led to Hugo going out.”
Apart from Ekitike, Alisson and Mohamed Salah were also ruled out of the match. The Egyptian has pulled out of the Egyptian squad, while the Brazilian goalkeeper is expected to be out for a few weeks.
Liverpool need Hugo Ekitike back to full fitness
Alexander Isak is back in training but is not ready to make the matchday squad yet. The Swede has been out since December with a broken leg, soon after scoring against Tottenham.
The challenge from Micky van de Ven left the striker on the floor, and he needed surgery. He has now entered the final stage of his recovery, but is not expected to play in matches before the end of April.
Arne Slot spoke about him last week and said:
“Alex will available [for PSG], yes. The question is what you mean around ‘being ready.’ If you want to have the player who played exactly a year ago against us in the Carabao Cup final and was too good for us on that day, then I would tell you I have my doubts about that after seven or eight months out. But I expect that I can use him for minutes. Exactly what I get from that I cannot tell you because he hasn’t trained with the team even once.”
With Isak still weeks away from regaining full fitness, Liverpool need Ekitike to lead the attack. They face Manchester City next in the FA Cup quarterfinals when the players return from the international break.
The Reds have no time to breathe as they face PSG in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals four days later in Paris.
