Liverpool confirms 'serious' Hugo Ekitike injury after major setback

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Liverpool has confirmed the "serious" nature of Hugo Ekitike's injury after the French forward was stretchered off against PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday

Liverpool has confirmed the extent of Hugo Ekitike's injury(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool has confirmed that Hugo Ekitike has suffered a "serious" Achilles injury that will rule him out of the rest of this season and prevent him from playing for France at the World Cup.

The 23-year-old had to be substituted during the first half of the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield after he slipped under no contact. Scans on the issue have subsequently confirmed a rupture of the Achilles tendon.

Ekitike will therefore be sidelined for the remaining weeks of the club season, though no exact timeline has emerged on when he could return. The Reds will support Ekitike as he recovers, with some reports suggesting he could be out for nine months.

"Hugo suffered a serious injury on Tuesday evening against PSG," France manager Didier Deschamps said yesterday.

"The severity of his injury will unfortunately prevent him from finishing the season with Liverpool and participating in the World Cup.

"Hugo is one of the dozen young players who have made their debuts with the national team in recent months. He had perfectly integrated into the group, both on the pitch and off it.

Hugo Ekitike was stretchered off against Paris Saint-Germain(Image: PAUL ELLIS, AFP via Getty Images)

"This injury is a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the France team. His disappointment is immense. Hugo will regain his top form, I'm convinced of it.

"But I wanted to express all my support to him, as well as that of the entire staff. We know he'll be fully behind the France team, and we're all thinking of him very strongly."

Ekitike went down after around half an hour against his former club, PSG, sparking immediate concerns that he may have sustained a serious problem.

And those fears have come true, with Ekitike's injury leaving Alexander Isak — who himself is only just coming back from the broken leg he suffered in the action of scoring against Spurs in December — as the only proper number nine available.

Cody Gakpo may be required to step in while Mohamed Salah is another option, but they are wide players primarily, and have not been in the best scoring form this term.

There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Liverpool.com will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.

Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story as they happen.

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