Arne Slot refused to confirm whether Hugo Ekitike suffered an Achilles injury as Liverpool exited the Champions League on Tuesday night, though Ibrahima Konate declared that ‘I think it's bad’.
The Frenchman went down off the ball in the first-half as the Reds were beaten 2-0 at home by PSG, slipping as he pushed off his right foot to sprint.
He immediately clutched at the back of his right ankle, prompting concern of an Achilles tendon injury, and left the pitch on a stretcher as concerned team-mates watched on. He was replaced by Mohamed Salah, who struggled to influence the tie.
Speaking at full-time, Slot confirmed Ekitike had suffered a serious injury but away no specifics.
Asked for an update on the player’s condition, he said: “Not so good. I think we could all see it didn’t look good. Let’s wait and see what it will be, but we could all see it didn’t look good.
“In the second half he went home, so I haven’t seen him yet. Losing a game is already very hard, especially in the way we lost it, but again, losing a player is something we’ve had so many times this season.
“It is especially hard for [Ekitike]. You never want to be injured, especially not at this moment of the season.”
The injury comes at a terrible time for Ekitike. Should his worst fears of an Achilles injury be confirmed, he would stand to miss this summer’s World Cup and, potentially, the start of next season.
Konate, Ekitike’s team-mate for both club and country, added that the injury appeared serious: “Ekitike, I am very sad for him. I hope he will come back. To be fair, I think it’s bad. I heard many things, but I don’t want to talk about it.
“With the World Cup coming this summer, I think it is very hard for him in this moment. I send him my prayers.”
Slot should offer a further update as he previews next weekend’s Merseyside derby, though the Club may issue an update sooner.
He joins a number of Liverpool team-mates on the physio’s table, with Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni all recovering from long-term injuries at the moment.
