How many games could Hugo Ekitike miss for Liverpool as injury analyst delivers initial verdict | OneFootball

For the second Tuesday in a row, Hugo Ekitike had his match ended prematurely against Galatasaray, albeit in rather different circumstances to last week.

Having been sent off for a second yellow card after removing his shirt in celebrating his winner against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, the striker returned to the Liverpool side in last night’s Champions League assignment in Istanbul.

Unfortunately, the 23-year-old appeared to hurt his hamstring midway through the second half after stretching to try and get on the end of a pass and had to be substituted. He claimed afterwards that it was nothing more than cramp, although one injury analyst warned that it could yet be more severe.

Injury analyst issues Hugo Ekitike verdict

On Wednesday morning, @physioscout on X outlined the projected timeframe for which Ekitike could be sidelined, depending on the severity of the injury which forced him off at RAMS Park.

The injury analyst indicated that ‘stretch-type mechanisms result in a longer layoff’ and are typically a ‘Grade 2 strain’, which could rule him out for four to six weeks, although the caveat was added that ‘scans will be necessary’ to obtain an informed answer on how many games he’s likely to miss.

The sports science expert hinted at the following expected recovery times: ‘If tightness: <1 week. Grade 1: 2-4 weeks. Grade 2: 4-6 weeks. Grade 3: 8-12 weeks++.’

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

How many games could Ekitike miss for Liverpool?

The best-case scenario remains that Ekitike will be available to face Chelsea on Saturday, and even a Grade 1 injury might only see him miss a couple of fixtures for Liverpool due to the timing of the international break.

However, if it turns out to a Grade 2, he might miss as many as eight matches (including Real Madrid and Manchester City in early November). Meanwhile, a Grade 3 could sideline him until late November or even December, ruling him out for a minimum of 11 games.

The latter scenarios could see Arne Slot become heavily dependent on Alexander Isak to not only be available throughout the rest of autumn, but also to find the net with at least the same regularity that the Frenchman has done so far this season (five goals in his first nine appearances).

Ekitike and the Liverpool head coach didn’t seem overly concerned when first addressing the injury in public, and nobody knows the striker’s body better than himself, so for him to merely attribute it to cramp is an encouraging sign.

Fingers crossed for good news on the 23-year-old when the scans deliver an informed analysis on the issue which forced him off against Galatasaray.