Hugo Ekitike benefits from Liverpool ‘tough love’ after Lionel Messi’s ‘brutal’ Kill Bill treatment

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So I think in that sense, it helps."If we look at Ekitike's form, it's really the second half of last season, after [Omar] Marmoush goes from Eintracht Frankfurt [to Manchester City], that he has to step up."He has to step up and really, really raise his level and take the responsibility for leading the team in the attacking sense."That's the sort of player and that's the sort of guy he is. He's someone who's got a very, very good all-round game.10Messi supposedly nicknamed Ekitike 'the iron rod'Credit: Getty"He's super intelligent, he uses his body well, which he always has done, actually, since he's been pretty young.

"I mean, it was something that he said he had to be a real student."10'Neymar and Messi weren't particularly helpful with young players'Despite his limited playtime, a 2022 report by L’Équipe claimed Messi affectionately nicknamed Ekitike 'the iron rod' due to his 'wiry frame'.That seemed to be the extent of their rapport, with Brassell explaining: "It's a little bit like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill 2, where she turns up at the temple and Pai Mei refuses to teach her and she just keeps going back."Eventually, he deigns to teach her, and he's not nice with her; he's really brutal. "I think that really tough part of his career, even though it's easy to look back and say, 'Well, he made a mistake there, he held up his career.'"You look at how quickly he's adapted to Liverpool.

And so he's gone on in there to Liverpool and stood on his own two feet instantly."10His treatment by Messi and Neymar was an eye-opening experience with elite starsCredit: GettyEkitike benefits from a bit of tough loveEkitike's attitude since arriving at Liverpool has proved that, having not had his confidence affected by his red card against Southampton.Brassell concluded: "I think he has really developed from when he was at PSG. So I think for him to be given a short leash probably works quite well for him.10Arne Slot criticised Ekitike's 'stupid' red card against Southampton"Because if you think of the moments where he had to step up for runs early on, when he was given the keys to the team pretty quickly, then at PSG, where he finds it hard to get a game, and the guys who he might have hoped would coach him on the pitch don't really do it."Then you look at Eintracht Frankfurt when he arrives, and it's a really difficult start.