Thierry Henry admits Liverpool player has surprised him - 'Now club is struggling'

Thierry Henry has given his verdict on the Premier League's most impressive signing this season, with the Arsenal legend admitting a Liverpool player has surprised him

Thierry Henry has revealed which Liverpool player has surprised him this season(Image: Getty Images)

Thierry Henry has admitted to being surprised by Hugo Ekitike this season, with the Liverpool striker having made a big impression on the Arsenal legend.

It hasn’t been a stellar season for the Reds so far, with their Premier League title defense already looking as though it’s over before the halfway point of the season. That’s despite a big spending spree during the summer which saw transfer records broken for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, among other signings.

Most of the new arrivals have struggled to make any real impact so far, with Isak having scored just two goals so far, while Wirtz is still waiting for a first goal or assist in the Premier League. Ekitike has managed to settle in quickly though.

The French international has impressed since making the summer move from Eintracht Frankfurt, having scored 10 goals across all competitions so far, including four in his last two league appearances.

In fact, Ekitike is one of a very few Liverpool players to have earned many plaudits for their performances so far this season, and the 23-year-old is making Arne Slot’s decision to pick between him and Isak a lot easier at the moment.

And his bright start at Anfield has caught the attention of one his country’s greatest ever players, with Henry admitting he has been surprised with the ease in which Ekitike has managed to settle in compared to others.

Hugo Ekitike has scored 10 goals since joining Liverpool in the summer(Image: Getty Images)

Asked which new signing has impressed him the most this season, Henry told Betway: “I’ll go with with Hugo Ekitike, because at the beginning, he had to prove that he could be at Liverpool, and he did.

“Now the club is struggling and he’s still delivering. He surprised me. I knew he had that in his locker, but I didn’t know it was going to be that quick in terms of how he adapted.

“Of course, it’s easier to adapt when a team is rolling. But he adapted, then he went on the bench, didn’t say anything, came back and still scores his goals, so you have to put him up there.”

Ekitike himself is not resting on his laurels though, and insists he can still give Liverpool a lot more as the Reds look to try and get themselves back on track to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

"Obviously I'm not happy about all the games I played, I think I could do better. In general I would say that was good, I can improve," Ekitike said earlier this week.

"I know I can bring a lot more to this team, but I'm definitely getting better and I'm sure I'm going to switch to a good season.

"I find it exciting. I'm just happy to be a part of it and obviously I want to be involved, be a big part of it and just help people and give joy.”