Hugo Ekitike is expected to miss the upcoming World Cup after suffering a suspected Achilles injury during Liverpool FC’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.
The France forward was stretchered off at Anfield, with Liverpool fearing a serious setback that could also rule him out for the start of next season. The 23-year-old underwent scans on Wednesday to determine the full extent of the injury.
Ekitike joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt last July and has enjoyed a strong debut season, registering 17 goals and six assists across all competitions.
Speaking after the match, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said the early signs were worrying.
“I think we could all see that it didn’t look well and didn’t look good. Let’s wait and see what it will be,” he said. “But we could all see it didn’t look good.”
He added that the injury adds to an already difficult period for the squad.
“Losing a game is already very hard, especially in the way we lost it, but again — as it seems to be — losing a player is something we’ve had so many times this season,” Slot said.
“It’s especially very hard for him because you never want to be injured, especially not at this moment of the season.”
Ekitike has been one of Liverpool’s standout performers this campaign, becoming only the second player after Kenny Dalglish to score in five different competitions in his debut season for the club. He also made his France debut in September and was widely expected to be part of Didier Deschamps’ squad for the World Cup.
His potential long-term absence adds to Liverpool’s growing injury concerns this season. Liverpool FC are already without Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley for the rest of the campaign, while Alisson Becker and Wataru Endo remain sidelined. Alexander Isak has only recently returned from an ankle injury suffered in December.