Arne Slot has been urged to make Hugo Ekitike an automatic starter following the Liverpool striker’s impressive all-round display against Eintracht Frankfurt.
For the first time, Alexander Isak, Ekitike and Florian Wirtz were all fielded together in a starting front line valued at approximately £320million. Slot benched Mohamed Salah to deploy Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz and Cody Gakpo in an attacking quartet, which saw the Reds secure a commanding 5-1 victory away to the Bundesliga outfit.
Ekitike drew the match level after Rasmus Kristensen had given the hosts the advantage. The Frenchman showcased his combination play and threat in behind while working with Isak, who was deployed as the centre-forward.
However, the £125million Swede was withdrawn at the interval through injury and replaced by Federico Chiesa. As well as Eikitike, it was also a good evening for Wirtz, who contributed two assists in what were his first goal involvements since his £116m switch from Bayer Leverkusen.
Nevertheless, the bulk of the praise was directed towards Ekitike, with both Steve McManaman and Owen Hargreaves demanding he become one of the first names on the team sheet.
Speaking on TNT Sports, former Reds midfielder McManaman said, “He’s a starter all the time. He’s their best forward, isn’t he?”
Hargreaves, when asked if Ekitike has proven he should be the No. 1 choice at centre-forward, said, “Yeah, one hundred per cent. Not only that, there were times today when he dropped as a No. 10, received the ball and turned. He’s a beautiful footballer. Obviously, [he’s got] size; technically, [he’s good].
“It looks like he can embrace the pressure of what it’s like to play for a massive club like Liverpool. He has to be a guaranteed starter at the moment.”
Following the match, Ekitike expressed his enjoyment playing alongside Isak and his eagerness to develop a stronger partnership with the Premier League’s most expensive player. He said, “I think it was good.
“It wasn’t the best half together, but we can improve together. He is an outstanding player. The links will come.”
Nevertheless, he might need to wait before partnering with Isak again. During his post-match interview, Slot revealed Isak was substituted at half-time due to a groin problem.
The Dutchman said, “He had to go off the pitch because he felt his groin a little bit, which is a pity. I’ve said many times that it is such a difficult balance to find with a player who missed three months.
