Conor Bradley and Liverpool staff member may have dropped Hugo Ekitike hint for Arsenal game

Liverpool is sweating on the fitness of Hugo Ekitike after the striker missed the draw with Fulham. Conor Bradley and a member of the backroom team may have given a hint.

Hugo Ekitike is a doubt for Liverpool's trip to Arsenal.(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Hugo Ekitike was a surprise absence for Liverpool in its draw against Fulham. It was described as a minor fitness issue, but with the games coming thick and fast, many are eager to know whether he will be ready to return against Arsenal on Thursday (and Conor Bradley may have just dropped a hint).

The Frenchman's absence was not necessarily the key factor in the latest dropped points, with Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo each stepping up to find the net. But even if the last-minute wonderstrike from Harrison Reed was hard to account for, it's becoming increasingly clear that this Liverpool side needs to score three or more before it can even think about being comfortable.

That points to the systemic issues which need fixing, with the team far too easy to play through from front to back. But even with the transfer window open, Arne Slot won't solve that overnight, and so Ekitike's goals would be a very welcome band-aid in the meantime.

The summer signing has been one of the few bright sparks this season, emerging alongside Dominik Szoboszlai as one of a select group with any real credit to their names. The pressure on him to deliver has gone up another notch or two recently, with Alexander Isak sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Commentators questioned the wisdom of signing both of them in the summer, but without the contributions of Ekitike in the first few months of the campaign, Liverpool would be waving goodbye to Champions League qualification already. And now injury has struck for Isak, the fragility of the forward department has been laid bare.

With Ekitike sidelined at the same time against Fulham, Slot was down to the bare bones. Gakpo's timely return at least allowed the manager to play a somewhat recognized striker, but the wings were manned by two midfielders.

There is little doubt, then, that Ekitike's return cannot come soon enough. If only for damage limitation, he is critical to what remains of Liverpool's ambitions, which of course still include the European campaign.

But hopes of an immediate return appear to have been dented by Bradley and Lee Nobes, a member of Liverpool's backroom fitness staff. The pair are both keen Fantasy Premier League players, and have eached transferred Ekitike out of their teams.

Conor Bradley has removed Ekitike from his FPL team.(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Bradley has activated his Free Hit for the week, allowing him to create a whole new one-off team. He's plumped for a front three of Igor Thiago, Jarrod Bowen, and Erling Haaland.

Nobes has also turned to Thiago. Alongside Haaland, his forward line is completed by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Of course, it may just be that the Liverpool pair are simply preparing their FPL teams for what looks a daunting fixture (although Bradley has retained both himself and Wirtz). The gutsy 1-0 win at Anfield, when the Reds left as clear early favorites for the title, feels like a lifetime ago.

Since then, a 14-point chasm has opened up. And in truth, that's nothing compared to the gulf in performances.

It's not as though Arsenal has even looked that impressive; you'd back a peak Jurgen Klopp side to leave them running away from the top table with their tail between their legs. But Mikel Arteta has at least managed to build the most solid of foundations, and that's enough to convert the constant carousel of set piece goals into wins more often than not.

As others stutter and stall, it looks like it will finally be Arsenal's year. But Ekitike's return would at least give Liverpool half a chance of making things uncomfortable — and you can follow live updates from Slot's press conference, where he is sure to provide an update.