Steven Gerrard believes Hugo Ekitike suffered nothing more serious than a dead leg during Liverpool’s clash with Brighton on Saturday lunchtime.
The Reds were handed a real blow after just eight minutes of the match, when Ekitike was caught late by former Liverpool vice-captain James Milner.
With Alexander Isak still missing, Arne Slot was left without a focal point in attack, with concern over how long Ekitike might subsequently miss. But after watching a replay of the incident, Gerrard was convinced that it was simply a ‘really intense’ dead leg for the Frenchman.
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Gerrard predicts Ekitike dead leg
Ekitike looked in real discomfort as he walked from the Amex Stadium pitch on Saturday, leading to supporters fearing the worst about a serious injury.
Watching on for TNT Sports, though, Gerrard claimed that it should not be anything to worry about beyond Ekitike having to leave the pitch early on the day.
“So early on, it seems as if he’s received a really intense dead leg from a James Milner collision,” said the former Liverpool skipper.
Hugo Ekitike covers his face with his shirt as he comes off injured during Liverpool's Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium
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“It’s a big blow for Liverpool because they’ve got no pace up top. It looks like a really bad dead leg where you can’t carry on for 90 minutes.”
Supporters now face a nervous wait as they hope to have Ekitike back as soon as possible.
The 23-year-old has been called up for France’s March friendlies, and whether or not he remains in Didier Deschamps’ squad will provide a key clue as to the severity of his issue.
For Liverpool, Isak is expected back after the international break, but with the Swede unlikely to be fully match fit for some time, Slot will be crossing everything that Ekitike will be fine.
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