**Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is expecting to have Hugo Ekitike back for the trip to the Emirates on Thursday.**
The Frenchman sat out the 2-2 draw against Fulham at the weekend, but Slot was keen to emphasise that Ekitike could have played but they didn’t want to risk his long term fitness:
“Isak has been out for a few weeks now and that’s meant Ekitike had to play more minutes than the previous part of the season.”
“That’s led to him picking up a slight hamstring injury, and for a player of his age, not completely used to the Premier League, that’s been a bit too much. That’s why he will be out for today – and hopefully back for the Arsenal game.”
Ekitike is not the only player with a fitness problem
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Florian Wirtz was also believed to be [**managing a similar injury**](https://walkon.com/blog/liverpool-injury-news-updates-on-florian-wirtz-joe-gomez/) to Ekitike, but Slot has said that, after an MRI scan, it was confirmed that it was only muscular fatigue.
Both Ekitike and Wirtz are experiencing the intensity of the Premier League for the first time, and it has felt that, combined with the effects of the packed fixture schedule, the pair are having issues recovering full fitness.
Latest Liverpool injury news
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The Reds have three other first-team players currently on the treatment table. Slot mentioned that Alexander Isak is unavailable. The Swedish international fractured his leg during the win against Tottenham, and he is not expected to return for at least a couple of months.
Wataru Endo has been sidelined with an ankle issue since the beginning of December, and no estimate has been provided as to when the Japanese international could make his comeback.
Giovanni Leoni picked up a season-ending injury when he damaged his anterior cruciate ligament on his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup back in September.
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