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Liverpool and France forward Hugo Ekitike will miss the 2026 World Cup after suffering a serious injury in his club’s Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain, his national team coach Didier Deschamps said Wednesday.
The 23-year-old crumpled in a heap holding his lower right leg with a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon during the first half of Liverpool’s 2-0 quarter-final second-leg defeat to European champions PSG on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, the severity of (Ekitike’s) injury will prevent him from finishing the season with Liverpool and taking part in the World Cup,” Deschamps said in a statement released by the French football federation.
“This injury is a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the French national team.
“I wanted to express my full support for him, as well as that of the entire coaching staff.”
Ekitike has scored 17 goals in 45 matches in all competitions for Liverpool since arriving at Anfield for a fee of £79 million ($105.5 million) last summer.
Since winning his first France cap in a World Cup qualifier in September last year, Ekitike has been a regular in Les Bleus’ set-up, scoring two goals and providing one assist in his eight caps.
“It looks really bad, but difficult for me to say how bad,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said after Tuesday’s match.
Injuries have been a major factor in a disastrous season for Liverpool as they sit fifth in the Premier League and will end the campaign without silverware.
“Losing a player is something we have had many times this season, but it is especially hard for him because you never want to be injured, especially at this time of the season,” added Slot.