Liverpool named Hugo Ekitike in their starting line-up against Arsenal at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday
19:22, 31 Aug 2025Updated 21:14, 31 Aug 2025
Huge news about Hugo Ekitike emerged minutes before kick-off(Image: PA)
Didier Deschamps has called up Hugo Ekitike to replace Rayan Cherki in the France national team squad. It is the first senior call-up for Ekitike and comes barely a month after he joined Liverpool.
The forward previously played five times, scoring five goals, for France under-21s but missed this summer’s European Championship due to a back injury. Ekitike, however, is no longer eligible to represent them after turning 23 this summer.
Despite scoring for the Reds against Bournemouth and Newcastle United, as well as in the Community Shield versus Crystal Palace, Ekitike did not feature in the original squad named on Wednesday.
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Deschamps also acknowledged the omission, saying: “Hugo, maybe you’re noticing him a bit more now because he’s at Liverpool, but even before that, through what he’d already done last season, we were following him when he was at [Eintracht] Frankfurt, where he had a very good season. It was so good for him.
“The fact that he’s now at Liverpool and continues to be effective is great. There is, of course, competition for that position. I’m not here to just stockpile players, but obviously, he has the potential to be in the French national team.”
But now it has been confirmed that Ekitike will be in the France squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine in Poland on Friday and against Iceland in Paris on September 9, with Cherki is expected to be out for two months.
The striker is also eligible to play for Cameroon through his father, but their head coach Marc Brys had already clarified that they had no intention of considering Ekitike before this call-up.
“I haven’t made contact with him,” Brys said. “Let me explain why. He [Ekitike] invested everything to try and play for France, but it didn’t work out. And now, are we—Cameroon—supposed to be his second choice? I don’t need to be anyone’s second choice.
“We have good players who play with heart. That’s what I need. I don’t need a star who thinks he can just choose which country to play for. He’s a good player, that’s not in question. But in this situation, he doesn’t deserve to come here.”
Follow transfer deadline day live with the ECHO
Transfer deadline day is almost upon us and Liverpool still have business to do. It’s already been a busy summer for the Premier League champions but they could still pull off a couple of blockbuster signings as the window comes to a close.
Alexander Isak’s future remains unresolved, with the striker refusing to play or train for Newcastle United. Liverpool remain interested in a deal for the Swede.
Meanwhile, Marc Guehi has been a player of interest all summer and Liverpool could still launch a last-minute deal for the Crystal Palace defender.
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