Ekitike Injury Update Sparks Concern After Liverpool's Defeat

Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed concern over Hugo Ekitike's injury, describing it as 'really bad' after the forward was stretchered off during the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The injury occurred just before the half-hour mark at Anfield when Ekitike appeared to suffer a serious lower leg injury, clutching his right ankle area in visible pain. He was replaced by Mohamed Salah, and Slot suggested the injury was 'not good,' amid fears of an Achilles injury. Speaking to Amazon Prime, Slot said, 'He's not good. We could all see that it didn't look good.' Ekitike has scored 19 goals for Liverpool and France this season and was likely to feature for his country at this summer's World Cup if fit. Slot took positives from Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final exit, citing the team's improved performance compared to the first leg. The Reds came into the second leg with a mountain to climb, but a vastly improved display was not enough to overcome the 2-0 deficit from the first leg. Ousmane Dembele's second-half brace sealed PSG's 2-0 second-leg win and progress to the semi-finals with a 4-0 aggregate triumph. Despite the defeat, Slot remains optimistic about the team's future, saying, 'The future looks very bright for this team, because we've shown that we can compete with the champions of Europe in our stadium, to be the dominant team.' Liverpool's attention now turns to ensuring they qualify for next season's Champions League competition as their Premier League campaign resumes with Sunday's derby at Everton.