Hugo Ekitike will force Liverpool change as Arne Slot faces Rio Ngumoha dilemma

Liverpool faces Everton in the Premier League on Sunday, with Arne Slot facing some major decisions ahead of that clash — including how to replace the injured Hugo Ekitike

Hugo Ekitike and Rio Ngumoha during a Liverpool training session.(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Hugo Ekitike is set for a sustained period on the sidelines and his season — and World Cup hopes — are over, in a major blow for the Frenchman and Liverpool.

With six games remaining in the Premier League and a top-five spot already confirmed as being enough to qualify for the Champions League, the aim for the Reds is clear.

"We have to play [in the] Champions League next season — we owe this to the club and to the fans," Florian Wirtz told club media this week. That process continues with a first trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday.

Without Ekitike, and with Alexander Isak looking so short of fitness in his 45 minutes against PSG, there is a void to be filled at number nine against Everton.

Cody Gakpo might be the answer there, and with plenty wanting to have seen Rio Ngumoha start on Tuesday after he impressed versus Fulham, the clamor for him to be thrown in from the off will be strong.

It feels realistic that Ngumoha could be trusted to start on the left flank, even at the age of just 17, not least if Gakpo is required to start through the center as a result of there being so few other options.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

On the right-hand side, Mohamed Salah will expect to start, but that is not guaranteed. He was left out against PSG, though he ended up coming on earlier than anticipated as a result of Ekitike's injury.

In midfield, Wirtz could operate as the number 10, while there is a decision to be made on which of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai start — potentially all three.

Defensively, depending on Joe Gomez's injury status after he went off against PSG in the second half not long after coming on, there is a right-back choice to be made, which also involves Jeremie Frimpong.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side, there is a case for giving Andy Robertson one last Merseyside derby, fielding the Scotland captain ahead of Milos Kerkez for his experience.

Robertson has been there and done it in this fixture before, and he also happens to be the only Liverpool man to have played at the Hill Dickinson already, having appeared for his country there against the Ivory Coast in March.

Considering the number of injuries that Liverpool has, Slot has quite a number of decisions to make.

And with the clock ticking in the race for the Champions League — and Everton not far behind — he really could do with getting those calls right.