Liverpool's Attack Dilemma: Ekitike's Injury and Gallas' Warning
Liverpool’s attacking rebuild has been handed an uncomfortable dose of reality, with Hugo Ekitike’s long-term injury prompting a stark warning from former France defender William Gallas.
Ekitike, signed as part of Liverpool’s next-generation forward line, is not expected back until at least Christmas after suffering serious Achilles damage in April during the Champions League clash against his former club Paris Saint-Germain. He is currently with the senior squad on the pre-season tour of the United States, working through rehabilitation rather than minutes on the pitch.
The club are already scouring the market for a right-winger to succeed Mohamed Salah. Gallas believes that might not be enough.
Gallas: “Most of the players didn’t make it”
Speaking to iPredicta, Gallas did not sugar-coat the challenge facing the 24-year-old.
"I didn't have Hugo Ekitike’s injury, but I know it's very difficult to come back 100% after it," he said. "Most of the players didn't make it.
"I know he's still young, but he will have to take his time. Liverpool may have to think twice too. They may have to bring a new player, because nobody knows if he's going to be back in his best."
That is the crux of Liverpool’s dilemma. Ekitike was signed with the future in mind, a mobile forward to grow into a major role. Instead, the club now stare at months of uncertainty, both over his physical recovery and the level he can realistically reach when he does return.
Gallas pointed to a painful recent example.
"Listen, we know when we get big injuries, it’s very difficult to come back to your best shape," he said. "Look what happened to Wesley Fofana from Chelsea. Before, when he was at Leicester, he had a season that was just unbelievable. And then he got that bad injury. And from that bad injury, he never came back to his best performance. It could be the same for Ekitike.”
The comparison with Fofana underlines the risk. A serious injury at a key development stage can bend a career out of shape. Liverpool, Gallas suggests, cannot simply assume Ekitike will step back in and carry a significant share of the attacking load in the second half of the season.
For a club already trying to replace Salah’s goals, creativity and presence on the right, the prospect of another major question mark in the forward line is a strategic headache. Do they trust the internal options and Ekitike’s long-term recovery, or move decisively for another attacker now and accept the congestion later?
Confidence in Jacquet to replace Konate
If Gallas sounded cautious about Ekitike, he struck a very different tone on Liverpool’s new central defender Jeremy Jacquet, signed from Rennes for £60million to cover the departure of Ibrahima Konate.
"Jeremy Jacquet is a big boy," he said. "He's a big boy and he's got quality. If you go to Liverpool, you know he has got quality. So now it's always the same question: you need to adapt and play alongside some of the best players.
"Virgil van Dijk can help him a lot. Yeah, he needs some time, but I think he can do the job of replacing Ibrahima Konate."
There is no hesitation there. In Gallas’s eyes, Jacquet has the tools and the environment to grow quickly, especially next to Van Dijk. The concern lies not at the back, but at the sharp end of the pitch.
As Liverpool’s tour rolls on and the transfer window ticks down, the club must decide how bold to be. Trust recovery timelines and potential, or act now and reshape the forward line again before Ekitike has even kicked a competitive ball in red?
