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Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike scored and assisted on his Premier League Anfield debut against Bournemouth, leaving Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer impressed.
The 23-year-old Frenchman started up front for Liverpool on the opening day of the new Premier League season, and he became the first player to score in the 2025/26 campaign. The Reds ended up needing to score three times to win, but alongside Florian Wirtz, Ekitike looks set to continue producing plenty of firepower.
And during a discussion about the new number nines that have arrived in the Premier League this summer, Lineker and Shearer were in agreement about the early impact that Ekitike has made.
"We saw Joao Pedro... not much happened for him after his glory in the Club World Cup final," Lineker said on the Rest Is Football podcast.
"We saw Viktor Gyokeres for Arsenal, he didn’t really get a kick, and Benjamin Sesko came on relatively late [so] it’s hard to judge. But I think the one striker, the nines, who really stood out for me in an impressive debut was Ekitike."
"Yeah, he carried on from last weekend, didn’t he, in the Community Shield," Shearer said. "It was interesting to hear him talk after the game.
"In terms of him saying the physicality of the Premier League, he’s had slightly different [experiences]. One minute he’s going up against a big center half in a scrap, but I think he’s got the intelligence also to drop off like he did for his goal.
"It was a lovely run to get the ball short, then find the space in the middle and go in behind. He might have got a little bit of luck in the ricochet with the tackle, but the way he finished it off.
"And of course linking up with Cody Gakpo, that goal as well, I think he played a large part in that with his hold-up play, the turn, and the pass, and all that. It’s a very, very promising start from him."
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Ekitike scored 22 times for Eintracht Frankfurt last season before making the switch to England. Including add-ons, the deal was worth up to $106 million (£79 million).
Liverpool remains interested in signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. However, Ekitike has already shown his quality in the few weeks that he has been at Anfield.
Liverpool.com says: Ekitike has been hugely impressive so far. It is early days, but he looks like a really intelligent player who can bring his teammates into play and finish.
It is hard not to compare Ekitike to Darwin Nunez, but the difference is already clear. The new signing is only likely to get better, too, as his relationship with Salah and Wirtz continues to develop.
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