Arne Slot opted to name Alexander Isak in his Liverpool starting XI to face Atletico Madrid with Hugo Ekitike on the bench as a result
Hugo Ekitike has been told he may be forced to be Alexander Isak's understudy at Liverpool
Hugo Ekitike has been told he may be forced to be Alexander Isak's understudy at Liverpool(Image: (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images))
Hugo Ekitike has been sent a brutal Liverpool message after Arne Slot opted to name record-signing Alexander Isak in his starting XI for the Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
The hosts got off to a lightening start at Anfield with Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah both on target in the opening five minutes. The former opened the scoring when he diverted Salah's free-kick towards goal which left Jan Oblak wrong-footed.
Salah then grabbed his third of the season almost immediately after that with a left-footed finish following an incisive ball into the Atletico penalty box by Ryan Gravenberch. Isak was not involved in either goal and unsurprisingly his first few touches were a little off.
Including pre-season, this is Isak's first start in nearly four months but Ally McCoist expects him to feature regularly with Ekitike's minutes impacted as a result. When asked by commentary partner Darren Fletcher if the latter was unfortunate to be on the bench, McCoist brutally said: "He better get used to it."
Over the coming weeks, Ekitike will almost certainly play more than Isak though with Slot's comments ahead of the Atletico game suggesting exactly that.
“There is definitely a chance, because he is in the squad,” Slot said on Isak possibly making his debut during his pre-match press conference.
“Then there is a chance to play. Normally I would say 99.9 per cent sure, but I can say it’s 100 per cent sure he will not play 90 minutes. But he is part of the squad.
“It is already a Champions League game to look forward to but if people look forward to his playing time, that could mean that could happen tomorrow as well.
“The only thing that is sure is he will not play 90, and all the rest you will see tomorrow.”
Beyond the October international break, Isak could well be the undisputed first-choice but with so many games to come this season, Ekitike will almost certainly receive his fair share of game time.
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