Liverpool manager Arne Slott said striker Ugo Ekitike's injury "looks very serious" after the Frenchman was carried off the pitch on a stretcher during the defeat to PSG in the Champions League, British media reported today.
Ekitike suffered a non-contact injury in the 30th minute of the second leg of the quarter-final, which Liverpool lost 2-0, with the aggregate score being 4-0 to the Parisians. The striker was holding his ankle and was in visible pain before being carried off the pitch.
"It looks very bad, but it's hard to say how serious it is. It's not good, that's clear. I didn't see him at half-time, and after the game he had already gone home. I haven't spoken to him yet," Slot said, as reported by the BBC.
This is Ekitike's first season at Liverpool, where he arrived from Eintracht last summer, and he has so far scored 17 goals in 45 games in all competitions.
A potentially longer absence could seriously jeopardize his chances of being included in the French national team for the upcoming World Cup in North America.
His club and national team teammate Ibrahima Konate said that this moment will be very difficult for Ekitike.
"I think the injury is serious. I don't know exactly what happened, I've heard different things, but I have no words. With the World Cup coming up, this is very difficult for him and I send him my support," Konate said.
Slot paired Ekitike with Alexander Isak in attack in this match, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since December after recovering from a broken leg, while Florian Wirz also appeared.
The Dutch expert emphasized that the three big signings have rarely played together this season.
"Until tonight we only had 88 minutes with Virdco, Isak and Ekitike together, now we've added a little more, but I would be surprised if we see much more of them together by the end of the season. The good news is that Isak is back," Slot concluded.
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