Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse has backed Hugo Ekitike to return stronger from injury and warned that Bradley Barcola is "going to hurt teams" once he adapts to the Premier League.
Ekitike has been described as "a complete player" by Cisse, who believes the Liverpool forward will rediscover his level quickly when he returns from a long-term Achilles injury suffered in the Champions League quarter-final second leg defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in April.
Ekitike's recovery and importance
No timescale has been set for Ekitike's return, but he has previously declared his desire to be back in action before the end of the year. Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola recently revealed the forward is progressing well in his rehabilitation.
Cisse, who recovered from a broken leg to feature in the 2005 Champions League final win over AC Milan, said Ekitike has been a big miss for the club.
"Hugo Ekitike was improving enormously since he arrived at Liverpool," said Cisse. "When you lose a player like that, it's tough. It's even tough for the players replacing him, because Alexander Isak wasn't available either."
Barcola's adaptation and potential
Barcola, who joined Liverpool this summer for £123 million, ended a seven-game wait for his first goals with a hat-trick in the Champions League win at LASK last midweek.
Cisse, a Liverpool club record signing when arriving from Auxerre in 2004, acknowledged the expectations that come with Barcola's price tag.
"We have to go easy on him," he said. "Bradley is young and his rise has been very fast. He's been through a lot and I think he's handling it well, considering how much has happened to him in such a short time."
"It's not the best Barcola I know so far, but I can tell you that when it clicks, it's going to hurt teams. You don't score a hat-trick in the Champions League by chance."
Cisse added: "I hope that will launch him and he'll show the real Bradley Barcola, because I've seen the Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and I'm very happy to have him at Liverpool."
