Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike played a big role in the side's massive 5-2 win over West Ham United on Saturday, February 28. Ekitike started the scoring for Liverpool in the fifth minute of the game and wrapped up the game with three goal contributions which included two assists.
Hugo Ekitike's rise in form
Hugo Ekitike has been going through a fine form lately, especially with the absence of Alexander Isak, he got a permanent place in the lineup. He took full advantage of the former Newcastle striker's absence because of injury.
In the summer, Ekitike arrived at Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt for a fee of £79 million. He started some of the games for the club in the league but soon after Alexander Isak joined the club from Newcastle, he lost his starting spot. Although, he played the games as a substitute player, where he was not able to contribute much at the same time Liverpool lost a number of big games across all competitions.
Since Alexander Isak suffered a broken ankle against Tottenham in December, Ekitike capitalised on the opportunity and dropped consistent performances.
Owen Hargreaves backs Hugo Ekitike
Amid his great outings, former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves, has expressed his prediction that Ekitike would become one of the best strikers in the world of football.
"I tell you why he [Slot] is smiling, he’s got Hugo Ekitike in his team. What a player he is by the way, oh my word, he could be one of the best strikers in the world. I know we’ve got [Erling] Haaland but I think he’s got one of the most complete games, and the one thing I think all the top players need is confidence and belief, and he has," Owen Hargreaves said.
The former English midfielder added that the former PSG player creates something new with every touch. He makes thing look very easy and has a high quality technique, which could help him become the next big thing in the world.
"Every time he steps on the pitch you can tell he’s like, ‘give me the ball, I’m going to create something’. And today [against West Ham], again, every time he touches the ball something special happens. He makes it look so easy with everything. He’s got size, he’s got skill, he’s got technique, he’s got awareness, always in the right place at the right time, technically he’s top and he’s got this confidence which I think is infectious," he added.
So far, Hugo Ekitike has scored 16 goals and six assists for Liverpool across all competitions. It will be exciting to see if he manages to continue the momentum in his favor.