Alexander Isak is likely to miss the next months of Liverpool’s season after fracturing his leg against Tottenham.
The British record transfer signing has had a rough time since joining the Reds last summer and saw his move hit a new low while scoring on Saturday.
It rather summed up the run of luck Isak is having that in the act of sweeping in an excellent finish at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he also put the nail in the coffin of a dreadful first season.
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Arne Slot is running out of options…
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Liverpool’s attacking options heading into the Christmas period:
- Hugo Ekitike
- Federico Chiesa
- Florian Wirtz
- Rio Ngumoha
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Beyond Isak’s own personal misfortune, though, it is terrible luck for Liverpool, whose decision to sign the No. 9 for £120m looks worse by the day.
The injury has also left Arne Slot’s Liverpool squad decidedly light in attack. With Mohamed Salah away on international duty and Cody Gakpo also injured, Micah Richards has named which player is likely to benefit from Isak’s absence.
Hugo Ekitike set to become the main man at Liverpool
Clearly, Isak being missing for so long is not good news in any capacity for Liverpool. His finish against Spurs sent a reminder of just what a weapon he can be for the Reds.
But if there’s something fans can cling onto, it’s that in Hugo Ekitike, they have a more than able replacement.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
READ MORE: David Ornstein drops Antoine Semenyo to Liverpool bomb after Alexander Isak breaks his leg
Ekitike has scored five goals in his last five Premier League appearances, and according to Richards, he is the player who will now get an uninterrupted run in the Liverpool team.
“I wanted to see them both play together at some stage,” the former Man City defender said on The Rest Is Football.
“It was the time to see it, especially with Spurs having 10 men at the time. I was like, ‘come on, show us what you’ve got, show us your movement, show us your chemistry or try to build that chemistry,’ and then Isak goes off.”
What ONE word sums up Liverpool’s signing of Alexander Isak?
Photo by Izzy Poles – AMA/Getty Images
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“Forget the injury, for Ekitike it’s good now because he’ll probably get a run in the team. But I wanted to see them both together, get that partnership, especially with Salah going to AFCON.”
Alan Shearer reiterates Ekitike praise
Ekitike did not take long to underline why he can be the star striker for Liverpool. He headed home the winning goal only 10 minutes after Isak had left the pitch against Tottenham.
The 23-year-old has impressed just about everybody since arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt, with Premier League all-time top scorer Alan Shearer a certified fan.
“I just think the way he’s settled into life at Liverpool under difficult circumstances, great credit to him,” Shearer said.
“For his mentality, his attitude and obviously his ability. He’s had a great start to his Liverpool career. He’s a really, really good player.”
Ekitike did not need any more help in establishing himself as a key player at Liverpool. But with Isak now out indeterminably, he has just been given it anyway.
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