Hugo Ekitike has taken the Premier League by storm since joining Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt.
A number of the Reds’ summer signings took a while to get up to speed at Anfield, and in Alexander Isak’s case, he still hasn’t.
While Isak is ruled out until March, Ekitike has more than stepped up in his role as Liverpool’s main striker.
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He is already sitting on 15 goals for the season, two of which came in the 4-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
How many goals will Hugo Ekitike end up with this season?
He's surely heading past 20
Hugo Ekitike celebrates after scoring for Liverpool in the Premier League against Newcastle United at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC
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Now, the 23-year-old has been showered in praise by multiple sources since his display against the Magpies.
Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker praise Hugo Ekitike’s finishing
Among them are two former England international strikers, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker.
Ekitike nearly joined Newcastle in the summer before picking Liverpool instead.
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But even Shearer had to concede that the centre-forward, who dominated his ex-team, was ‘world class’ on Saturday.
Speaking on the Rest Is Football, he said: “I mean the brilliance of Ekitike and Wirtz. I thought particularly, Ekitike, I mean, it hurts even more because Newcastle were in for him obviously, as you know, in the summer.
“But he chose to go to Liverpool, which I get, and that’s fine. But he was the difference. The second goal was world-class, it was a good old fashioned like toe-poke, wasn’t it, when he went down on the left and then toe-poked it with his right foot.”
Lineker then jumped in to comment on Ekitike’s second strike against Newcastle, comparing him to Brazilian icon Romario.
He said: “Romario-like, remember? Loved a toe-poke. What a striker.”
PROVE ME WRONG: Hugo Ekitike WILL have a better Liverpool career than Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez prior to Nashville SC v Inter Miami CF - 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. Hugo Ekitike celebrates after scoring for Liverpool during their UEFA Champions League match against Qarabag at Anfield.
Credit: Johnnie Izquierdo/Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
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What has Arne Slot said about Hugo Ekitike
Arne Slot offered similarly high praise for Ekitike after his performances against Newcastle.
Like Lineker, he was quick to point out that the forward’s second of the day was similar to Romario.
The Liverpool manager said: “His [Ekitike’s] second goal, I don’t know if he knows who he is but Romario who played in Holland and Brazil scored a lot of goals like this. It looked like a Romario goal I have to say.”
Romario had a prolific playing career, which included winning the 1994 World Cup, scoring 542 goals at club level and 55 for Brazil.
Ekitike may be some way off that total right now, but it’s brilliant to see the Liverpool ace receiving such high praise from many in the footballing world.
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