Arne Slot has moved to calm fears over Hugo Ekitike's fitness after the Liverpool striker was forced off early in the 2-1 defeat at Brighton. The French forward collided with former Liverpool man James Milner in the opening minutes and appeared to hurt his thigh before being replaced by Curtis Jones.
Despite the setback, Slot confirmed the injury is not long-term. 'Hugo could play tomorrow if he had to,' the manager said after the match. 'It was a dead leg. It was a collision that led to him going off. It was not helpful.'
The loss compounded Liverpool's woes, with the Reds already missing Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker. Danny Welbeck scored twice for Brighton, while Milos Kerkez netted for the visitors. Slot admitted his side were outplayed in the second half, praising Brighton's performance.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Slot added: 'Every game you have to miss is something you're upset about. Him having to go off so early... it's just a bit of bad luck and not something that's going to be keeping him out for three months.'
