Liverpool player is now ‘one of the best in the world’: Hargreaves
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Liverpool’s 5-2 win over West Ham United gave us plenty to enjoy, but the post-match conversation quickly centred on Hugo Ekitike and just how important the striker has become for Arne Slot.Owen Hargreaves, speaking on Premier League Productions and quoted by Metro.co.uk, made it clear he thinks Liverpool have something special on our hands.“I tell you why [Slot] is smiling, he’s got Hugo Ekitike in his team,” Hargreaves said.“What a player he is by the way, oh my word, he could be one of the best strikers in the world.”That is punchy praise in any context, but it lands even harder when you consider our current attacking picture, because with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz injured, Ekitike has started to feel like the most reliable outlet in the front line.Cody Gakpo got on the scoresheet against West Ham and Mo Salah is still contributing in other ways, but neither attacker looks fully on fire in front of goal right now, which is why Ekitike’s confidence and output matters so much.Hargreaves leaned into that idea too, suggesting Ekitike has the mix of tools that separates the very best forwards from the rest.“He makes it look so easy with everything,” Hargreaves added.“He’s got size, he’s got skill, he’s got technique, he’s got awareness, always in the right place at the right time, technically he’s top and he’s got this confidence which I think is infectious.”Ekitike shows why Liverpool are leaning on him(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)The numbers from SofaScore back up why the performance stood out, because Ekitike produced the kind of all-action display that changes a game even when Liverpool are not totally dominant for 90 minutes. Hugo Ekitike vs West Ham SofaScore Rating 8.5 (Player of the Match) Minutes 76 Goals 1 Assists 2 Shots 2 (1 on target) xG 0.21 Key passes 2 Dribbles 4 (2 successful) Touches 32 Aerial duels 5 (3 won) It was also telling that Arne Slot substituted Ekitike on 76 minutes, with Rio Ngumoha replacing him, because it looked like a manager protecting a player we simply cannot afford to lose.With Slot also admitting that Wirtz is unlikely to be back for Tuesday, he will know the importance of keeping the most in-form players available.Why this matters for Liverpool’s run-in(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Liverpool are now fifth with 48 points from 28 games, level with fourth-placed Manchester United, and we are playing the kind of fixtures where momentum can swing quickly.That is where Ekitike’s value becomes even clearer, because when Liverpool are missing creative touchpoints, a forward who can score, create, and carry the ball through pressure becomes the release valve.Wayne Rooney has already suggested Ekitike’s form is shifting the conversation around our forward line, and that broader theme fits what we saw against West Ham, because the striker looked like the player most willing to make something happen when the match threatened to get awkward.If we are going to keep climbing domestically while juggling injuries and Europe, then performances like this are exactly why so much of the spotlight is landing on Hugo Ekitike.
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