Hugo Ekitike has scored six goals in 15 appearances for Liverpool since his summer arrival from Frankfurt
17:00, 08 Nov 2025
Hugo Ekitike says Arne Slot wants the best for him at Liverpool(Image: PA)
The question hadn’t even finished when Hugo Ekitike let out a chuckle and rocked back in his seat before delivering an emphatic response. Does Liverpool boss Arne Slot push the striker a lot in training?
“Yes!” laughed the France international striker. “As a player, sometimes you’re p***ed, it’s annoying. I know he wants the best for me and the best for the team. I would say he’s on my back, but not for a bad thing. He just wants to help me, so I don’t take that badly.
“Sometimes you say that when a coach is on your back, maybe sometimes you feel like it’s a little bit too much and you want to complain.
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“But it’s a good thing because I think if a coach doesn’t like you, he will not speak to you or not try to get the best of you.
“He wants me to give more and more and more. But I think that’s a question you should ask him!”
Certainly, Ekitike has proven himself a quick learner in English football since his £79million arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt in July with six goals in 15 appearances for the Premier League champions.
However, a needless second yellow and subsequent red card for taking his shirt off after scoring the winner in the League Cup against Southampton in September – ruling himself out of the Premier League defeat at Crystal Palace three days later that sparked a miserable Liverpool run of six defeats in seven – prompted a public rebuke from Slot.
And asked for any examples of strong messages from the Reds boss, Ekitike added: “Obviously keep my shirt on! It was more about work-rate without the ball, to be more involved and to work more for the team, which I’m trying to do. We’ll get there – it’s mostly about working without the ball.”
Attempts to forge a strike partnership with Alexander Isak have been thwarted by fitness problems for the £125million British record signing, with the duo starting just one game together – the 5-1 Champions League romp at Eintracht Frankfurt last month.
“He’s a good player and I’m not worried about good players because in time they improve and they learn how to find connections and links,” said Ekitike.
“I’m definitely sure that not only him, but all the players who play in the offensive line, I know we can all play together.”
Having returned to training on Friday, Isak is likely to be on the bench when Liverpool aim to continue their revival of home wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid with a trip to title contenders Manchester City on Sunday.
In opposition will be Erling Haaland, who has rediscovered devastating form this term with a whopping 18 goals in 14 appearances in all competitions.
And asked if the Norwegian is the best striker in the world at present, Ekitike added: “One of those I would say, yes. He’s on the list of best strikers in the world now for a few years, and definitely someone I’m looking at.
“If I can add a little bit in my game it would be from this game. He’s able to do things without touching the ball much during the game, and it’s really impressive. He’s definitely someone I’m looking at.”
Ekitike knows a thing or two about learning from forwards. He was at Paris Saint-Germain when Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar were ahead of him in the pecking order, and is in the same France squad as close friend Mbappe and Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.
“I try to take things from the players I love,” said Ekitike. “I like to watch and try to add to my game to make me more complete.
“What did I learn from Messi? Maybe his vision. Sometimes I try to see things earlier, before I receive the ball. Neymar I took some tricks and skills, ball control. I took the runs of Kylian, he could do great runs without the ball. So many things, it is difficult to list. But I definitely took stuff from their game.”
Ekitike spent 20 minutes talking with Mbappe after helping Liverpool down his Real Madrid side in midweek.
“He saw me in a bad position at PSG so he is happy for me that now things are working out,” said the 23-year-old. “We can see each other in the national team and play together. He has been like a big brother to me.
“What was wrong at PSG? I was just not playing. It was difficult at the end. He was always good to me, always gave me advice.”
Having started his career with Reims, Ekitike took the unusual step in 2021 of several months on loan in Denmark with Velje Boldklub which he believes transformed him as a player.
“I would say not a weird move but not what you expect from a young player,” he said. “Most thought I would go to the second division in France but I made the choice to go to Denmark.
“Obviously it was difficult but really good. I got consistent minutes, I learned a lot from this league. The guys were really strong. I got confidence for when I came back to France.”
And on hearing that Thierry Henry regards him as the most exciting signing of the summer, Ekitike added: “He is an idol for us French players, so I take that compliment.
“But I don’t want to be an exciting signing. I want to be a good player who has had a great season.”
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