What Hugo Ekitike was spotted doing during Liverpool’s pre-Manchester United training
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Liverpool are facing an apparent striking crisis for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Manchester United, with concerns emerging over Alexander Isak.Reports have suggested that Isak is set to miss the trip to Old Trafford, joining Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah on the injury list.Ekitike is, of course, not expected back any time soon having suffered a rupture of his Achilles tendon. But as he continues to recover ahead of next season, the Frenchman was spotted in an amongst his Liverpool teammates at the AXA Training Centre on Friday.
How much better would Liverpool have been if they’d hired an interim manager in January❓🔄 Credit: Sebastian Frej/James Holyoak/MB Media/Getty Images Ekitike in and around Liverpool training centreWith recovery from an Achilles issue potentially taking the best part of one year, Ekitike will not be seen in training for Liverpool any time soon.However, the Frenchman is clearly popular with his teammates, and it appears that he is keen to make sure that his presence continues to be felt while he is unavailable.An indication of this arrived on Friday, as Ekitike was seen in the players’ boot room ahead of their session before facing United.As spotted on LFCTV’s Inside Training video, the 23-year-old made an appearance while Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk shared a joke while putting on their boots.Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Michael Carrick names the Man United player who definitely won’t be involved vs LiverpoolIt will be a while before Ekitike will be back out on the grass, unfortunately, but he was seen walking across the room while using a pair of crutches.Some strapping could be seen around the striker’s right foot, and he appeared to following a member of the Liverpool rehab team out through the doors and onto the pitches.Ekitike staying positive despite devastating injuryLast week, Ekitike shared a post on his private Instagram account to show what he has been getting up to since the devastating setback of his injury.The France international is seemingly staying upbeat as he battles against a serious issue, posting videos of himself getting haircuts and shooting basketballs while in protective gear.Ever the comedian, Ekitike also posted an AI-generated video which showed him breaking out of his crutches and going on to score an amazing solo goal.That kind of positivity will be needed as he begins the slow road to playing for Liverpool again. But it’s nice to see that Ekitike is still in and around his teammates and a part of things in Kirkby.
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