Hugo Ekitike receives ultimate compliment from Arne Slot as star continues to impress

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Arne Slot has given a ringing endorsement of Hugo Ekitike, as the Frenchman continues to outshine fellow summer signing Alexander Isak in the battle for the number nineLiverpool boss Arne Slot has heaped praise upon Hugo Ekitike.(Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)Liverpool has not had the smoothest of title defenses by any means. But while Alexander Isak finally has his first league goal, there's absolutely no doubt that it is Ekitike who has flown out of the traps the fastest.READ MORE: Mohamed Salah was left in tears as Liverpool teammate inflicted AFCON agonyREAD MORE: Liverpool handed major double injury boost as Arne Slot confirms timeline for Cody Gakpo returnIn fairness, it's not as though he was an insignificant investment.

"He had to go off in the Brighton game after 70 minutes with cramp but he almost did double the work [of] 3 months ago when he also went off with cramp."His ability to score, his technique, speed, he has all this, so no-one is surprised to see it. In our talks, I have probably told him what I expect more defensively from him than offensively, [so] I am more excited to see what he is doing defensively."Arne Slot has praised Ekitike for improved defensive work.(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Even with Jurgen Klopp long gone, this is still some of the highest praise a Liverpool striker can receive.

After all, there has been no cause for complaint whatsoever on the offensive end.If anything, Slot has played this down by claiming Liverpool already knew what it was getting in an attacking sense. In Ekitike, he has an increasingly well-rounded striker who can meet the demands of the Liverpool system: how everything else fits around that can work itself out with time.