Liverpool's star striker Hugo Ekitike faces a devastating blow to his World Cup ambitions after being stretchered off during the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The 23-year-old forward, who joined the Reds in a £69 million deal from Frankfurt last summer, sustained what appeared to be a severe injury in the first half of the 2-0 loss at Anfield, which sealed a 4-0 aggregate exit for Arne Slot's side.
Serious Setback for French International
Ekitike, who earned his first cap for France last September, was widely expected to feature in Didier Deschamps' squad for this summer's World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, that prospect now hangs in the balance following the distressing incident at Anfield. Teammate Ibrahima Konate expressed his sorrow after the match, stating, "I am very sad for him, and I hope he will come back. I think it's bad. I don't know. I heard many things. With the World Cup, all the things coming this summer, it's very hard for him at this moment - and I send him my prayers."
Medical Assessment and Season Outlook
The French striker is set to undergo further scans within the next 48 hours to determine the full extent of the damage. Manager Arne Slot provided a grim update, suggesting Ekitike may not feature again this campaign. Slot remarked, "Hugo, we all saw on the video and clips, that doesn’t look good. For 88 minutes until tonight we have played with Florian Wirtz, Alex Isak and Hugo together. We added about 27 to that tonight and I would be surprised if we add more minutes to that this season. The good thing is Alex is back."
Liverpool's Champions League Exit
The English champions' European journey came to a disappointing end despite creating opportunities and having a penalty overturned by VAR. Ousmane Dembele's second-half brace against the run of play ultimately put the tie beyond reach after the damage was done in the first leg in Paris. Liverpool had a strong appeal for a spot-kick waved away when Alexis Mac Allister was felled in the area, much to Slot's frustration.
Slot's Perspective on the Future
Despite the crushing elimination, Slot remains optimistic about Liverpool's prospects. He reflected, "Of course we are very disappointed because I think there were parts of the second half where you could feel, 'If we could just score now, this could become a very special night'. But the future looks very bright for this team, for this club. We have shown we can compete with the champions of Europe in our stadium. To be the dominant team, not many teams can be dominant against PSG and create as many chances as we did."
Addressing the controversial VAR decision, Slot added, "I think probably last week we had too much luck and we ran out of luck today. We have conceded a few penalties this season and I could name them all for you, but if a pen is given, usually VAR tells you I see contact then I should support the on-field decision. I wasn’t surprised that this went against us but that wasn’t the story of the game."
