Liverpool's Attack Under Scrutiny Amid Ekitike Injury Concerns

Liverpool’s attacking rebuild has been handed an early jolt, and the warning has come from a man who knows exactly what a serious injury can do to a career.

Hugo Ekitike, signed to be part of the next wave of Liverpool’s frontline, is not expected back until at least Christmas after suffering major Achilles damage in April during the Champions League clash against his former club Paris Saint-Germain. He is back around the group, working through rehabilitation with the senior squad on the club’s pre-season tour of the United States, but the optimism is being tempered by cold reality.

William Gallas, the former France international defender, has sounded a stark note of caution. In his view, Liverpool cannot simply assume Ekitike will return as the same player.

“I didn't have Hugo Ekitike’s injury, but I know it's very difficult to come back 100% after it,” Gallas told iPredicta. “Most of the players didn't make it.”

That line hangs heavy over any long-term planning. Liverpool are already scouring the market for a right-winger to fill the void left by Mohamed Salah. Gallas believes that search might not be enough.

“I know he's still young, but he will have to take his time. Liverpool may have to think twice too,” he said. “They may have to bring a new player, because nobody knows if he's going to be back in his best.”

This is the brutal side of elite football. Age helps, but it does not guarantee a full return. An Achilles tear can alter a player’s explosiveness, their sharpness over the first few yards, the very qualities a modern forward relies on. Clubs plan in cycles; injuries tear those plans up.

Gallas pointed to a painful recent example from the Premier League.

“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 is not a direct like-for-like in terms of position, but the message is clear: Liverpool cannot simply wait and hope. As the club reshape their attack post-Salah, the Ekitike question looms large. Do they trust the recovery and risk being light in the forward areas if his progress stalls, or do they act now and bring in another attacker, potentially pushing him further down the pecking order when he does return?

While the doubts circle around one Frenchman, Gallas is far more bullish about another.

If Ekitike’s road back is uncertain, Jeremy Jacquet’s path in red looks, in Gallas’s eyes, far more straightforward. The 24-year-old centre-back arrived from Rennes this summer in a £60million deal, effectively tasked with stepping into the space left by Ibrahima Konate’s departure.

“Jeremy Jacquet is a big boy,” Gallas said. “He's a big boy and he's got quality. If you go to Liverpool, you know he has got quality.”

The challenge now is not about whether Jacquet can play, but how quickly he can adapt to the demands of a club that expects to challenge on all fronts, in a league that punishes hesitation.

“So now it's always the same question: you need to adapt and play alongside some of the best players,” Gallas added. “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.”

It is a neat contrast for Liverpool’s summer: at the back, a powerful new signing Gallas believes is ready to grow into the role; up front, a talented forward whose biggest battle may not be with defenders, but with his own body.

As the tour in the United States rolls on and recruitment plans harden, Liverpool’s hierarchy must decide how much faith to place in Ekitike’s recovery — and how much risk they are willing to carry in a season where margins, once again, will be razor thin.