Liverpool have confirmed that French forward Hugo Ekitike will miss the remainder of the Premier League season and the 2026 FIFA World Cup after suffering a serious injury in their Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The 23-year-old striker went down clutching his lower right leg during the first half of Liverpool’s 2-0 quarter-final second-leg loss at Anfield on Tuesday and was forced off.
A statement released by the club on Thursday confirmed scans revealed a rupture of the Achilles tendon.
“Ekitike will therefore be sidelined for the remaining weeks of the club season and be unable to participate in this summer’s World Cup with France,” the statement read.
Liverpool did not provide a recovery timeline, adding that further updates would be issued in due course while the player receives full support from the club.
The announcement followed confirmation from Didier Deschamps that Ekitike would also miss the World Cup.
“This injury is a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the French national team,” Deschamps said.
Ekitike has scored 17 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions since joining Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer.
Since earning his first France cap in a World Cup qualifier in September, he has become a regular, contributing two goals and one assist in eight appearances.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted the injury looked serious in the immediate aftermath of the match.
“It looks really bad, but difficult for me to say how bad,” Slot said.
The setback compounds a difficult season for Liverpool, with injuries playing a major role as they sit fifth in the Premier League and look set to finish the campaign without silverware.
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