France manager Didier Deschamps don confirm say striker Hugo Ekitike no go fit play for World Cup after wey im suffer suspected Achilles injury during Liverpool Champions League match against Paris St-Germain for Tuesday.
Di France forward leave Anfield pitch on top stretcher, and Liverpool dey fear say di 23-year-old go miss long time, wey fit even make am miss di start of next season.
Ekitike go for scans on Wednesday, wey dem dey expect go confirm di extent of di damage.
“Hugo suffer serious injury on Tuesday evening against PSG. Di severity of im injury go unfortunately prevent am from finishing di season with Liverpool and participating for World Cup,” Deschamps confirm for statement wey French Football Federation publish.
“Hugo be one of di dozen young players wey don make dia debut with national team for recent months. Im don perfectly integrate into di group, both for pitch and off am. This injury na huge blow for am, of course, but also for France team. Im disappointment na immense.”
Deschamps add say: “Hugo go regain im top form, I dey convinced of am. But I wan express all my support to am, as well as dat of di entire staff. We know say im go dey fully behind France team, and we dey all think of am very strongly.”
Ekitike join Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt last July and im don be one of dia standout performers for difficult season wey di club dey face, with 17 goals and six assists for all competitions.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot talk about im frontman injury after di quarter-final second-leg loss to PSG: “I think we all fit see say e no look well and e no look good. Make we wait see wetin e go be. But we all fit see say e no look good.”
Slot yarn say: “For second half, im go house so I never see am yet. To lose game don hard pass, especially for di way we lose am, but again – as e dey seem to be – to lose player na something wey we don get plenty times this season.”
“E dey especially very hard for am because you no ever wan dey injured, especially no be for this moment of time for season.”
For January, Ekitike become just di second player after iconic Kenny Dalglish to score for five different competitions during dia debut campaign with Liverpool.
Im make im France debut last September and dem don set am to be part of Deschamps squad for this summer World Cup for United States, Canada and Mexico.
Liverpool don suffer plenty setbacks this season, with both teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni and full-back Conor Bradley rule out for di rest of di season with injuries.
Keeper Alisson Becker and midfielder Wataru Endo still dey sidelined, while Sweden striker Alexander Isak return earlier this month from ankle injury wey im suffer for December.
For di match wey cause di injury, Alexander Isak make surprise start after lengthy lay-off, but Ekitike get hurt with wetin appear like serious lower leg injury just before half-hour mark for Anfield.
Di forward drop to di turf with nobody near am and clutch im right ankle area, appear for visible pain before im receive treatment surrounded by im team-mates.
Im then leave di field on top stretcher, dem replace am with Mohamed Salah, with Slot suggest say di injury “no good” amid fears say im suffer Achilles injury.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, Slot talk again: “Im no good. We all fit see say e no look good. Im go house for second half so I never see am yet.”
“To lose game na hard thing but again to lose player na something wey we don get many times this season. E dey very hard for am for this time of di season.”
For im post-match press conference, Slot add: “E look really bad but e dey difficult for me to talk how bad. Tomorrow we go investigate dis further, how bad dis be for am.”
“Make we see but dat e no look good na clear thing.”
Ekitike don score 19 goals for Liverpool and France this season and im likely to feature for im country for this summer World Cup if im fit.
Ibrahima Konate add im own voice: “I dey very sad for am. I think e bad.”
“I no know. I hear many things, but I no wan talk about dat because with World Cup, all of di things wey dey come this summer, e dey very hard for am for this moment. I send am my prayers and everything.”
Meanwhile, Slot take positives from Liverpool Champions League quarter-final exit.
Di Reds come into di second leg with mountain to climb after dem thoroughly outclass for last Wednesday first leg for Parc des Princes, where di holders dominance no reflect by di 2-0 scoreline.
PSG missed opportunities allow Anfield to dream of famous comeback but e no be as key interventions and controversially overturned penalty frustrate vastly improved Liverpool.
Ousmane Dembele second-half brace eventually seal PSG 2-0 second-leg win and progress to semi-finals with 4-0 aggregate triumph, but Slot take hope from night wey see Liverpool final route to silverware end.
“We make plenty progression compared to last week,” di Liverpool boss talk. “I get to give plenty credit to di players, how hard dem work.”
“I get to give plenty credit to our fans, how dem help us tonight to execute our gameplan. If we get high press, e dey so helpful if fans dey behind you, to keep on push you.”
“Unfortunately, e be one of di many examples of this season where we no able to score from di many chances we get.”
“Again, we dey so far underperforming in terms of xG [expected goals] and dat na just ongoing thing with us throughout di whole season.”
“Add to dat, as e dey seem to be bad injury [to Ekitike]. We no know for sure yet. Add to dat another intervention of VAR, wey go not for our favour and dat also no be for first time this season.”
“Of course we dey very disappointed because get parts for second half where you fit just feel if we fit score now dis go become special night. But di future look very bright for dis team, because we don show say we fit compete with champions of Europe for our stadium, to be di dominant team.”
“No many teams fit be dominant against Paris Saint-Germain and generate so many chances as we do. But, yeah, chances na one thing, scoring na second.”
Liverpool attention turn from push for Champions League glory to ensure dem qualify for next season competition as dia Premier League campaign resume with Sunday derby at Everton.
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