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Real Madrid icon Kylian Mbappe has heaped praise on his compatriot, Hugo Ekitika, on Instagram after Liverpool's 4-1 win against Newcastle United. Ekitike produced an amazing brace to extend his impressive run of form in their premier League game at Anfield on Saturday, January 31.
Kylian Mbapper applauds Hugo Ekitike
Newcastle started the scoring in the 36th minute vua Anthony Gordon's strike. Luckily for the Reds, Huga Ekitike was at his absolute best, with his clean strike resulting in two goals in the duration of two minutes (41',43'). Florian Writz (67') and Ibraha Konate (90+3) were on target as Liverpool clinched all three points.
Ekitike got a match rating of 9.0 for his masterclass, as per FotMob. During his 84 minutes on the pitch, the 23 year old produced four shots on target and missed two big chances.
The France internationals shared his celebrations on Instagram, leading Mbappe commenting:
"Superstar"
Ekitike has been in fine form for Liverpool this season since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt over the summer. He has scored 15 goals and four assists in 32 outings across all competitions to date.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot reveals Hugo Ekitike's biggest improvement
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has revealed that Hugo Ekitke's biggest improvement since playing for the Reds has been his work-rate without the ball. The French forward has stepped up since Alexander Isak picked up a long-term injury earlier this season, becoming crucial parts of the Reds in the recent games.
After his side's 4-1 win over New Castle, Slot was quizzed about Ekitike's character away from the pitch during the post-match press conference. He told Liverpool's official website:
"Funny, happy, always brings a nice energy to the training ground, but also to the stadium because the fans love him as well. From the start, I think everybody could see how special he is, how fast he is. That was probably seen the best in the second goal he scored; he took a one-v-one on, went on the outside, which is very, very difficult in modern football to beat someone around because usually players go to the inside and have a shot with the right. But there you can see his pace."
He added:
"Again, I would love to mention the fact that probably didn’t even improve that much on the ball because he was special from the start, but his biggest improvement is his work-rate off the ball and that is so helpful and necessary for any team, let alone for a team that wants to press throughout 95 minutes."
Since joining Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt over the summer for a fee of £69 million, Ekitike has scored 15 goals and four assists in 32 outings across all competitions.
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