The finalities of a six-year contract were announced on Wednesday evening, by which time the French striker was already on a plane to the Far East.

He arrived in time to watch the squad’s open training at the Kai Tak Stadium in front of a crowd of 27,000 and at the end of the session walked onto the pitch to first greet head coach Arne Slot and then the rest of the players.

During the post-workout walkabout to acknowledge the crowd he spent a couple of minutes in conversation with captain Virgil van Dijk, alongside Andy Robertson.

“When you look at the four older players, the leaders – me, Ali (Alisson Becker), Virg and Mo (Mohamed Salah) – we take it upon ourselves to try to integrate them into the squad as quickly as possible,” Robertson told LFCTV.

Liverpool Confirm Hugo Ekitike Signing – Dan Reacts In Hong Kong	LFC in HONG KONG, Interviewing Dalglish and OLSC HK Legends QandA!! | Pre-Season Tour Vlog – DAY 1	Liverpool In Hong Kong, Ekitike Excitement and More | Talking Reds

“Especially when they are coming from different countries and cultures, it is about getting them up to speed as quickly as possible.

“On the pitch they look after themselves, they have so much quality and that is the pleasing thing.

“The lads already have settled in and Hugo has just come in so we’ll have dinner tonight.”

Liverpool’s first match of their tour is against AC Milan on Saturday but Ekitike’s participation remains doubtful at this stage.