Hugo Ekitike has been a revelation ever since he joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The striker has quickly become one of the Reds’ best players, with the Frenchman putting up a more-than-solid fight for his starting spot against Alexander Isak.
Of course, both strikers deserve to start for the Anfield outfit, but with Arne Slot only lining his team up with one striker, it feels like the two number nines will be going head-to-head for most of the season.
Ekitike didn’t do himself many favours in their 2-1 win against Southampton on Tuesday, though, as he got himself red-carded after taking his shirt off to celebrate scoring for his team.
The striker clearly wasn’t thinking about the fact he’d already received a yellow card, and after he was awarded another, he was sent packing.
And now, Fabrizio Romano has given an insight into exactly what happened when the Frenchman was forced off the pitch.
Liverpool’s management and directors spoke to Hugo Ekitike as soon as he came off the pitch
One thing that was made clear in the Reds’ game against Southampton is how young the Reds’ first-team squad actually is now.
Of course, you see people talking about the ages of players all the time, but the fact that Ekitike let his emotions get the better of him shows how much he still needs to learn about the game.
Indeed, he’ll have obviously known about being carded for taking his shirt off, but the fact that he forgot about already being shown one outlines how much he still has to learn.
And, Romano, while speaking on his YouTube channel, shared what happened straight after the Frenchman was taken off the pitch.
“In reality, what happened behind the scenes. Liverpool, the directors, the management, Arne Slot, they spoke to Ekitike, and he apologised immediately to his teammates, to the manager, he understood the mistake, and it was not with bad intentions at all,” he said.
“This is why Liverpool decided not to give him a fine. I think it was too big in the media that story.”
Alexander Isak must pull his weight against Crystal Palace on Saturday
Although Isak is likely to become Slot’s first-choice number nine when he’s fully fit, he still has to prove that he deserves a place in Liverpool’s starting XI.
One of the main things that Liverpool have struggled with over the last couple of years is having a regular scoring striker among their ranks.
Strikers have either been injured for extended periods or just not all that good in front of goal, which, for a title-chasing team, is far from ideal.
Now, however, they have two world-class strikers to choose from, and although both can play on the left wing if needed, each would likely prefer to be used in their natural position.
Ekitike is out of the question against Palace, which means that this could be Isak’s time to shine.
Indeed, Federico Chiesa will also want to make a good impression, but if Isak wants to confirm his role as Liverpool’s starting striker, he must put in a good performance against the Eagles on Saturday.
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