Hugo Ekitike debuts for France and delivers timely response to Cameroon boss
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Image Credits: Imago ImagesHugo Ekitike officially made his debut for France last night against Ukraine.
Liverpool’s summer signing was not named in Didier Deschamps initial France squad, but an injury to Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki opened up a space for Hugo Ekitike to fill.
Deschamps chose to put his faith in Ekitike, and the French forward officially made his international debut last night.
He may have only managed three touches of the ball, but it is a big step in the right direction after a brilliant start to life at Liverpool.
On top of it being a personal achievement for Hugo Ekitike, his inclusion on the field yesterday has been given a deeper meaning after Cameroon head coach Marc Brys’ strong words about him last week.
The Cameroon manager made a bold claim, stating that Ekitike did not succeed in playing for France.
“He put all his money into trying to play for France and he didn’t succeed.”
“And now we, Cameroon, are his second choice?
In the situation I described, he doesn’t deserve to come here.”
Brys closed the door for any Cameroon appearance for Ekitike, but his debut for France yesterday paves the way for his international future as he has now made a competitive appearance after the age of 21, making him now ineligible to switch.
This will also mean that Ekitike will never miss games for Liverpool during a season as a result of the Africa Cup of Nations, with Mohamed Salah set to this season between December and January.
Ekitike’s first cap will be one of many and he will be proud to have proven the Cameroon boss wrong, as his harsh words towards the striker were very much misplaced.
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