There's a new Hugo Ekitike and he's made for Liverpool | OneFootball

There’s a young player beginning to emerge who stylistically looks very similar to Hugo Ekitike, and he could be exactly the kind of profile Liverpool are searching for.

One thing Richard Hughes has made clear since arriving at Anfield is that he is thinking long term.

Liverpool’s recruitment strategy is no longer just about fixing short-term problems or chasing instant success. Hughes appears focused on building a squad capable of competing for the next decade.

That bigger-picture thinking can already be seen in the club’s transfer business. Liverpool have targeted some of Europe’s best young talents, bringing in prospects like Will Wright, Armin Pecsi, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye.

At the same time, they have also invested heavily in young first-team players such as Florian Wirtz, Giovanni Leoni, Jeremy Jacquet and Milos Kerkez.

Arguably, Hughes’ best piece of business so far has been Ekitike himself.

The French forward has quickly become a fan favourite at Anfield and has developed into one of Liverpool’s most important attacking players this season up until his untimely and unfortunate injury.

What makes Ekitike so interesting is that he is not a traditional striker.

He is not simply a penalty-box finisher waiting for chances to arrive. Instead, he drops deep, links play together, carries the ball forward and thrives in one-versus-one situations.

That combination of technical quality, movement and unpredictability is exactly why Liverpool may now be searching for players cut from the same cloth.

He's a quintessential Liverpool attacker. Exactly, the type of player the Reds like to have playing as the no.9. Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge have been very similar profiles.

What's also interesting is that while Hughes has focused on signing a lot of young players for the defence, he hasn't really brought in any young attackers apart from Wright.

Liverpool definitely have more options at youth level in attack, but that should not deter the club's sporting director to pursue even more additions of similar profile to Ndukwe and Ndiaye.

One of those should be targeting a player who could be the next Ekitike who is simply made for Liverpool due to his style of play and profile.

The player in question is Julian Hall of New York Red Bulls. The 18-year-old became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the MLS on Wednesday night.

He has 12 goals and three assists in 16 matches this season, and he already comes with so much experience.

Despite being so young, Hall has 59 appearances for New Yor Red Bull's first team.

There's more to Hall than just output, though. His link-up play and his first touch is very similar to Ekitike. He has that aura of unpredictability, capable of making clever flicks to surprise his opponents and retain the ball for his team.

At the same time, he also knows how to get into dangerous areas inside the opposition's penalty area. Like Ekitike, he has a great sense of awareness for the goal.

Liverpool will be able to sign him in the summer window.

Considering the previous Red Bull signings the Reds have made, this just feels like a move the Reds should be exploring. Hall is a very typical Liverpool player.