Liverpool urged to rethink attack as Ekitike injury raises concerns
Liverpool’s summer planning has been handed an uncomfortable dose of reality, with Hugo Ekitike’s Achilles injury prompting a stark warning over how much the club can realistically expect from the French forward this season.
The 24-year-old is not expected back until at least Christmas after suffering serious Achilles damage in April during the Champions League clash against his former club Paris Saint-Germain. He is travelling and working with the senior squad on the pre-season tour of the United States, but the optimism around his potential is being tempered by the brutal history of that particular injury.
Former France international William Gallas has urged Liverpool to protect themselves – and the player – by easing the burden on Ekitike rather than banking on a full and seamless recovery.
“I didn't have Hugo Ekitike’s injury, but I know it's very difficult to come back 100% after it,” Gallas said. “Most of the players didn't make it.
“I know he's still young, but he will have to take his time. Liverpool may have to think twice too. They may have to bring a new player, because nobody knows if he's going to be back in his best.
“Listen, we know when we get big injuries, it’s very difficult to come back to your best shape.”
That is the hard truth Liverpool’s recruitment team must wrestle with. The club are already scouring the market for a right-winger to step into the space left by Mohamed Salah’s departure. Gallas believes that search might not be enough.
The pressure finally told in his assessment when he pointed to a recent, painful example from the Premier League.
“Look what happened to Wesley Fofana from Chelsea,” he said. “Before, when he was at Leicester, he had a season that was just unbelievable. And then he got that bad injury. And from that bad injury, he never came back to his best performance. It could be the same for Ekitike.”
Achilles injuries are among the most feared in elite football. The recovery is long, the uncertainty even longer. Power, explosiveness, sharp changes of direction – all the tools a modern forward needs – can be dulled. Some players rebuild them. Many don’t. That is the risk Gallas is flagging.
For Liverpool, who are reshaping their attack and cannot afford a misstep in a season of transition, the message is clear: hope for the best from Ekitike, plan for something less.
Gallas, speaking to iPredicta, struck a far more confident tone when the conversation turned to the other end of the pitch and the man charged with filling a sizeable defensive void.
If Ekitike’s situation raises questions, Jeremy Jacquet’s arrival brings answers.
The 22-year-old centre-back has joined from Rennes in a £60million deal, stepping into a role vacated by Ibrahima Konate. It is a daunting assignment on paper, but Gallas believes Liverpool have bought the right profile and the right mentality.
“Jeremy Jacquet is a big boy,” he said. “He's a big boy and he's got quality. If you go to Liverpool, you know he has got quality. So now it's always the same question: you need to adapt and play alongside some of the best players.
“Virgil van Dijk can help him a lot. Yeah, he needs some time, but I think he can do the job of replacing Ibrahima Konate.”
That is the balance of Liverpool’s summer so far. At the back, a clear succession plan: Jacquet next to Van Dijk, learning quickly, growing into the shirt. Up front, a far more fragile equation: a major talent in Ekitike, a major injury, and no guarantee the player who returns will be the one Liverpool thought they had signed.
The club’s next move in the market will reveal how much they share Gallas’s concern – and how much of their new era they are willing to stake on an Achilles holding firm under the weight of Anfield’s expectations.
