Liverpool lost Hugo Ekitike to injury, with the striker having to be stretchered off in their Champions League quarter-final second leg loss to Paris Saint-Germain
Ibrahima Konate speaking
Ibrahima Konate spoke about Hugo Ekitike after Liverpool's match(Image: Amazon Prime)
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Ibrahima Konate believes Hugo Ekitike's injury is a bad one after leaving the Anfield pitch on a stretcher. Liverpool lost their striker half an hour into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Ekitike, 23, went down off the ball and held the back of his right leg around the ankle area afterwards. It soon became clear the summer signing could not continue, with Mohamed Salah replacing his fellow forward.
However, Salah's introduction could not inspire the Reds to victory as PGS comfortably ran out 2-0 winners to advance to the semi-finals.
The talk post-match soon turned to Ekitike, who looks certain now to miss the rest of the season. Konate spoke emotionally about his compatriot and did not sound overly optimistic, with the striker send to undergo a scan today to determine the severity of his problem.
The defender told Amazon Prime: "I am very sad for him, and I hope he will come back. I think it's bad, I don't know, I heard many things.
"With the World Cup, all the things coming this summer, it's very hard for him at this moment. I send him my prayers."
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot also offered a similarly downbeat assessment. He said on Amazon Prime: "Not too good, we could all see that he didn't look well and didn't look right, we can all see it didn't look good. In the second-half he went home, and I didn't see him.
Hugo Ekitike holds the back of his right leg
Hugo Ekitike held the back of his right leg(Image: ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA/Shutterstock)
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"Again, as it seems, losing a player is something we've had a lot of this season. It's very hard for him because you never want to be injured at this time of the season."
Slot added in his press conference: "Hugo looks really bad, but it is difficult to say how bad. Let's see, it doesn't look good; that is clear. I didn't see him at half-time, and after the game he was already home. I have not spoken to him yet."
The former Liverpool player-turned-pundit Stephen Warnock suggested while commentating on the match that Ekitike had damaged his ankle while some early reports suggets he may have ruptured his Achilles - a serious injury that could lead to months on the sidelines.
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He said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "There was nobody around Hugo Ekitike, and he has damaged his ankle, he is pointing towards his Achilles, which is a real concern.
"He got back up, and he just collapsed to the floor. Marquinhos had hold of his hand, and he is in agony."
Alan Shearer shared a similar verdict while working as a co-commentator on Amazon Prime. He said: "Ekitike went to control the ball, and he sort of slipped over. He looks to be in pain. They are saying he has to come off; it doesn't look good at all."