Ekitike Suffers Worrying Injury as Liverpool's Champions League Hopes End

Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed concern over Hugo Ekitike's injury, describing it as 'really bad' after the player was stretchered off during the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The injury occurred just before the half-hour mark 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,' sparking fears of an Achilles injury. Slot stated, 'He's not good. We could all see that it didn't look good.' The extent of the injury will be investigated further, with Slot adding, 'It looks really bad, but it's difficult for me to say how bad.' Ekitike has scored 19 goals for Liverpool and France this season and was likely to feature for his country at the World Cup if fit. Ibrahima Konate said, 'I'm very sad for him. I think it is bad.' Despite the injury, Slot took positives from Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final exit, saying, 'We made a lot of progression compared to last week.' The Reds' 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.