Arne Slot has spoken about Hugo Ekitike’s injury blow with the Liverpool forward set to be out until at least 2027 after rupturing his Achilles tendon

Arne Slot speaking in his pre-Everton press conference(This Is Anfield

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has revealed that Hugo Ekitike is yet to have an operation on the Achilles tendon injury he suffered during Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Ekitike, 23, left the pitch on a stretcher and in tears after just 31 minutes of the quarter-final second leg at Anfield. After attempting to sprint, the France international went down off the ball and was in serious pain. He received immediate medical attention before being taken off the pitch and straight down the tunnel.

Slot cut a concerned figure post-match and Liverpool have since confirmed on that Ekitike has torn his Achilles and is set for a long spell on the sidelines. There are fears that, as well as missing the rest of the current season and this summer’s World Cup, that Ekitike might not return until at least 2027.

Addressing Ekitike’s injury for the first time since it was revealed he will be out for several months, Slot said in his pre-Everton press conference: “He hasn’t been operated on yet.

“Devastating for him coming to a new club having so much impact straight away. Playing against your former club in a Champions League quarter-final with so much to come for him in the summer.

“First thoughts are with him being out for such along time, missing out on some many special moments. Not the first and not the last player to experience something like this at start of career and so many examples of players coming back even stronger, and 100 per cent he will be one of those.

“Maybe this injury makes me even more stronger and more ready to play at even higher level.”

Hugo Ekitike suffered a serious Achilles injury against PSG on Tuesday

Shortly after Liverpool confirmed the extent of Ekitike’s injury, he took to social media to send a message.

Liverpool will not accept loan bids for Rio Ngumoha this summer

Liverpool reportedly have no intentions of sending their attacking sensation, Rio Ngumoha, out on loan ahead of next season.

Rio Ngumoha’s future has been up in the air for months. With him struggling to get regular game time at Anfield under Arne Slot, the teenager has been linked with a temporary move away. However, that is unlikely to be the case.

According to a report from Football Insider, Liverpool will reject any loan offers for the 17-year-old left-winger. While he hasn’t had much game time this season, the Reds have earmarked him for a big role in the 2026/27 season.

Liverpool snapped him up from Chelsea’s youth setup in the summer of 2024, and in less than a year’s time, he got promoted to the Merseyside club’s first team. The teenager already has 25 first-team appearances and has even bagged two goals.

While he prefers playing out wide on the left flank, the 17-year-old is capable enough to take up any role in the final third. The Reds decided against signing a new left-winger last summer, with Ngumoha’s development in mind.

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Ngumoha will continue at Anfield

Despite that, the teenager has had to be patient to wait for his chances. While he was hardly playing for the majority of the first half, the former Chelsea winger has been involved in each of their last six league games and even bagged a goal in their last outing against Fulham.

The Reds are quite impressed with what they have seen from him. As a result, they have decided to keep him around for next season as well. While quite a few clubs have been linked with him and would love to sign him on loan, Liverpool won’t even accept a temporary departure.

They do not intend to let him head out to gain experience. They have him in their plans for next season, and he is expected to have a much more prominent role going forward. While Slot has been careful with how he has used that youngster, things are set to change heading into the 2026/27 season

Here’s a realistic predicted lineup + head-to-head setup for the massive clash between Arsenal vs Manchester City based on the latest previews.

🔥 Predicted Lineups

⚪ Arsenal (4-3-3)

GK: David Raya

DEF: Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Piero Hincapié

MID: Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice

AM: Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli

ST: Viktor Gyökeres

👉 This setup leans on creativity from Eze + pace from Martinelli, with Rice anchoring midfield. �

ladbrokes.com

🔵 Manchester City (4-2-3-1)

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma

DEF: Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guéhi, Rayan Aït-Nouri

MID: Rodri, Bernardo Silva

AM: Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Jérémy Doku

ST: Erling Haaland

👉 City rely on control (Rodri) + creativity (Cherki) feeding Haaland. �

ladbrokes.com

⚔️ Head-to-Head (Recent Context)

Last league meeting: 1-1 draw

Recent final: City beat Arsenal 2-0 (Carabao Cup Final)

Arsenal haven’t won away at City in years

Title race pressure makes this almost a “final”

👉 City have the psychological edge, but Arsenal are still top of the table. �

Wikipedia +1

🧠 Tactical Battle

Arsenal strength:

Fast wings (Martinelli, Madueke)

Strong defense (Saliba + Gabriel)

Man City strength:

Midfield control (Rodri, Bernardo)

Clinical finishing (Haaland)

🔮 Quick Prediction

Very tight game

Likely outcome: Man City win or draw

Expected score: 2-1 or 1-1

If you want, I can break it down into �⁠who will score, �⁠key players to watch, and �⁠betting tips 👀