1 week ago
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Hugo Ekitike is buzzing about his role in Liverpool's revamped forward line. The French striker sealed a move to the Reds last month for an initial fee of £69 million ($91.74 million) from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 23 year old, who is poised to make his competitive bow in the upcoming Community Shield clash with Crystal Palace at Wembley on Sunday, has already featured in two pre-season friendlies since his arrival. Ekitike clocked up 45 minutes in his first game against Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan and then played just under an hour in Liverpool's thrilling 3-2 victory over Athletic Bilbao at Anfield.
In both fixtures, Ekitike was paired up front with fellow newcomer Florian Wirtz, who, after a £116m transfer, has quickly become Arne Slot's preferred choice for the number 10 role. Wirtz, meanwhile, needed just one game to form his opinion on his new teammate.
Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo have been deployed on the wings in these matches, with Ekitike notching his inaugural goal contribution for Liverpool by setting up Salah with a slick run and precise cross against Bilbao.
Although it's still early days for the France Under-21 international at Liverpool, he's already relishing his involvement in Slot's dynamic attack.
Ekitike made a promising impression during his Anfield debut against the Spanish side and vowed that there's more to come from him, candidly reflecting on his performance.
"I enjoyed it a lot, it was such a good atmosphere for a first game for me," he expressed post-match. "I feel proud and I just wish I will play so many games in this stadium because it is amazing.
"I am here now for more than one week so I'm still trying to find connections with the others in the last passes and even before. I enjoy playing with them.
"Outside of the pitch they are good guys also. So, I take pleasure to play with them.
"We have some little things to fix to get better. Even me with the ball, I knew I could do better today.
"But I really enjoy playing with them and I'm sure we're going to make really good things this season."
Ekitike stands on the cusp of clinching his first piece of silverware as a Liverpool player in the upcoming Community Shield match, having joined the ranks of the Premier League champions with ambitions of hoisting trophies himself.
"The real season starts I think on Sunday for the cup game and we're looking forward to this," he shared with LFC TV.
"We have a group of competitors, we want to win everything. We're going to give 100 per cent I'm sure. I'm sure about this.
"And me also, I'm going to give 100 per cent to win because I'm here to win."
In addition, Ekitike reached out to fans via social media following his Anfield debut, expressing his gratitude for their support.
"First one with Liverpool FC at Anfield," he posted. "Thanks for the warm welcome".
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