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Hugo Ekitike might be forgiven for wondering what exactly he’s done wrong recently, given a lot of the chatter surrounding him at Liverpool.
It’s been a superb start for the 23-year-old since making the move to Anfield from Eintracht Frankfurt. Three goals and an assist from four games for his new club is practically the perfect start, and anyone who has watched him will know it’s not just his goal contributions that have made him stand out.
Yet, as he returns from making his senior international debut for France, much of the talk seems to be whether he’ll even get into Arne Slot’s team now that Alexander Isak has finally completed his much-vaunted move from Newcastle.
There’s no doubt that Liverpool will be looking at Isak as its first-choice striker - you don’t break the Premier League transfer record unless you’re getting a player who is assured of a spot in your strongest team.
But the discourse around Ekitike at the moment does feel more than a little harsh, given the start he has made for Liverpool. The fact he has now been overlooked for the Premier League’s Player of the Month award will only rub salt into the wounds.
It is of course worth bearing in mind that prize shouldn’t hold much weight in any case. If Jack Grealish can win it for two positive performances, then it’s definitely not something Ekitike should be fretting about.
His nomination is enough proof of how well he has started at Liverpool, and why any talk of him being dropped in favor of Isak should be parked for now.
For starters, Isak has played a grand total of around 20 minutes since the 2024/25 season ended back in May. Starting him against Burnley on Sunday would therefore be a huge risk, as Slot seemingly acknowledged during his press conference on Friday.
What’s more, given the start he has made at Anfield, it should be Ekitike’s place in the team to lose. He should be given the opportunity to show why he deserves to remain in Slot’s side, much in the same way that Dominik Szoboszlai is demonstrating following Florian Wirtz’s arrival.
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After a summer in which much has been made of Liverpool’s spending, with more than a few envious glances from the Reds’ rivals, Ekitike has undoubtedly been the pick of the new arrivals, and probably the best player overall in the squad.
That won’t go unnoticed by Slot, who showed an unwavering loyalty to his top performers last season, even if it was detrimental to some of his fringe players.
Still, it might work in Ekitike’s favor if he continues to fly under the radar. The pressure is firmly on Isak and Wirtz to deliver following their record moves, while he has quietly and efficiently gone about answering any early questions over his own big-money transfer.
The Premier League might not recognize it, but Ekitike is Liverpool’s star man at the moment, and if he continues to deliver, he should get his recognition eventually.
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