Liverpool have confirmed striker Hugo Ekitike has suffered a “serious” ruptured Achilles and will miss the remainder of the club season and the World Cup with France.
The 23-year-old was forced off in the first half of Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield after slipping on the turf. Scans confirmed an Achilles tendon rupture. There are fears he could be sidelined for at least six months, with a worst-case timeline of around nine months, though further assessment is needed.
A club statement on Thursday said Ekitike “will therefore be sidelined for the remaining weeks of the club season and unable to participate at this summer’s World Cup with France.”
France head coach Didier Deschamps paid tribute to Ekitike’s integration into the national side and offered his support, saying the injury is “a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the France team,” and expressing confidence Ekitike will return to top form.
Ekitike joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer for £79m and has scored 19 goals for club and country this season. His injury comes as Alexander Isak has just returned from a serious leg injury; Isak made his first start since fracturing his ankle in December on Tuesday.
The setback compounds Liverpool’s injury issues this season. Manager Arne Slot noted the team has frequently lost players to injury and highlighted that the planned partnership of summer signings Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ekitike has rarely had the chance to develop together. Slot said he would be surprised if the trio add many more minutes together this season.
Other absentees this campaign have included first-choice goalkeeper Alisson (hamstring), Conor Bradley (knee surgery), Giovanni Leoni (ACL), and lengthy spells for Jeremie Frimpong, Wataru Endo and Joe Gomez, stretching Liverpool’s squad depth.
Ekitike’s absence is significant as Liverpool chase a top-four finish. They sit fifth in the Premier League — three points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa and four points ahead of Chelsea — with a run of remaining fixtures including:
– April 19: Everton (A), 2pm
– April 25: Crystal Palace (H), 3pm
– May 3: Manchester United (A), 3.30pm
– May 9: Chelsea (H), 12.30pm
– May 17: Aston Villa (A), kick-off TBD
– May 24: Brentford (H), 4pm
Ekitike’s injury will be assessed further to establish a precise recovery timeline, but he will miss the rest of the club season and will not travel to the World Cup with France.