Hugo Ekitike looks set to miss the rest of the Premier League season and the 2026 World Cup after picking up a bad injury during Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.
The Reds striker went down in a heap after around half an hour of the clash at Anfield, with no player near him.
The Frenchman had turned, making a move to latch on to a Dominik Szoboszlai pass, but could not pick up the ball as he went down with what looked to be a bad injury.
He pointed to his ankle, although it could have been an Achilles problem too, with the stretcher being called for and having to be stretchered off the field of play, to be replaced by Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool Star Admits Ekitike Injury ‘Looks Bad’
Speaking after the game, teammate and countryman Ibrahima Konate said: “To be fair, I think it’s bad. I don’t know. I heard many things.
“But I don’t want to talk about that because with the World Cup, all of the things coming this summer, it’s very, very hard for him at this moment. I send him my prayers and everything.”
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer, with the tournament less than two months away from kicking off now.
But Ekitike looks set to miss it, with some doctors delivering their verdict on the innocuous incident on social media.
Renowned doctor and sports scientist Dr Rajpal Brar tweeted that he felt Ekitike would be looking at at least seven months out of action, which would not only see him miss the rest of this season and the World Cup, but at least the first three months of the 2026/27 campaign too.
Brar was not the only one to suggest that timeframe for Ekitike to be on the sidelines.
Football injury analyst @physioscout on X also weighed in by saying the same treatment time for the 23-year-old.
He said: “Hugo Ekitike had to be stretchered off in Liverpool vs. PSG with an Achilles injury. Typical non-contact push-off mechanism during acceleration usually points towards an Achilles rupture.
“Ekitike was also seen palpating his Achilles/calf complex after the incident. Expected Recovery Time: 7-9 months+
“Scans will be necessary to determine the extent of the injury. However, this one doesn’t look good.”
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