France’s assistant manager on Hugo Ekitiké’s injury: ‘He is a big miss. He has a certain profile that you can’t find elsewhere.’ | OneFootball

It isn’t just Liverpool who will miss Hugo Ekitiké but the France national team, too. The striker sustained an Achilles tendon injury during the loss to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week. L’Équipe understands that he will subsequently miss up to nine months of competition. It means that he may not feature again in 2026. 

It is a blow for Liverpool, who are still in contention to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League. He will also likely miss a large chunk of the following season. But he will also miss this summer’s FIFA World Cup, as confirmed by Didier Deschamps.

“Hugo is one of about ten young players who have made their debuts for the national team in recent months”, said the France manager. “He had integrated perfectly into the group, both on and off the pitch. This injury is a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the France national team.”

It came at a time when Ekitiké had just begun to assert himself in the national team set-up. There was a chance that he could have started at the World Cup, and at the very least, he provided Deschamps with a selection headache. 

Deschamps’ assistant, Guy Stéphan, has now reacted to Ekitiké’s injury in an interview with Ouest-France. “Above all, we hope to have no further bad news. Unfortunately, Hugo is severely injured. It is a hard blow and a big miss for the France national team. He has a certain profile that you can’t find elsewhere,” he told the publication.

Stéphan added, “He is a young player who was very good in the games in America (versus Brazil and Colombia in the most recent international break). He felt as though he would be in the group, and then in a few seconds, everything was wiped out. We will have to manage it and succeed in compensating for his absence.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle