By LEWIS STEELE, FOOTBALL REPORTER
Published: 06:47 EST, 7 January 2026 | Updated: 06:55 EST, 7 January 2026
Liverpool top scorer Hugo Ekitike is a big doubt for Thursday night’s trip to Arsenal – and the Frenchman has not trained yet this week.
The 23-year-old has scored 11 goals since his £79million summer move from Eintracht Frankfurt, including five in his last five league games, but was a big miss in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Fulham due to a hamstring issue.
And now Slot says Ekitike could be absent for the big match in north London this week.
‘Hugo has not trained with us until now let's see if he can today,’ said the boss on Wednesday morning. ‘I've said when we played Fulham he wasn't going to be out for long but as games come too fast.’
Ekitike trained on Saturday but felt some hamstring discomfort and Liverpool got results of an MRI scan while they were airborne en route to Fulham. The striker had travelled but it was decided not to play him due to delayed-onset muscle soreness.
It appears that had not settled by midweek and there is a cloud over whether he can be fit enough to play at the Emirates Stadium – especially from the start.
Hugo Ekitike is a doubt for Liverpool's trip to Arsenal on Thursday and hasn't trained this week
Arne Slot said that games come 'too fast' and he could not promise that Ekitike will play
That hands the advantage even further to league leaders Arsenal, who are 14 points clear of Slot’s men.
Speaking about Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, Slot said: ‘Maybe their main strength is that they have so many strengths or hardly have something that is weak.
'So they hardly concede goals. They can score from open play, they can score from set-pieces, have very good ideas on build-up, can play long balls, so they are the complete package.
‘For that reason, in my opinion, they deserve to be on top this season.’
Speaking about Liverpool’s lack of defensive reinforcements, Slot added: ‘Joe (Gomez) is back so that is already a big help.
‘No manager would tell you they are completely happy they have only two centre-backs available.
‘But you have to look at the bigger picture and we have signed an unbelievable player in Giovanni Leoni (a summer signing from Parma who is ruled out for the season after a ligament injury on his debut) who will be back next season.
‘This is the way this club works. As much as has been said about our spending last summer, it is not that there is no limitation to us spending.
Joe Gomez's recent return at the other end of the pitch has been a boost for the Reds
'We have to do smart things and this club has always tried to do smart things to keep up with the teams we want to compete with.
‘There's no difference now. But in an ideal world you'd have more than two centre-backs available, but sometimes things work out in the way it can happen now and you have to accept that situation.’
LiverpoolArne Slot