France's national team manager Didier Deschamps has delivered crushing news for football fans, confirming that rising star Hugo Ekitike will miss the upcoming World Cup after suffering a severe Achilles injury.
The 23-year-old striker was forced off on a stretcher during Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night. Scans conducted on Wednesday are expected to confirm the full extent of the damage, but Deschamps has already declared the forward's season over and his World Cup dreams shattered.
"Hugo suffered a serious injury on Tuesday evening against PSG. The severity of his injury will unfortunately prevent him from finishing the season with Liverpool and participating in the World Cup," Deschamps stated in an official release from the French Football Federation.
The national team manager expressed deep sympathy for the young player, highlighting Ekitike's impressive integration into the French squad since his debut. "Hugo is one of the dozen young players who have made their debuts with the national team in recent months. He had perfectly integrated into the group, both on the pitch and off it," Deschamps added. "This injury is a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the France team."
Liverpool manager Arne Slot shared his concern after witnessing the incident firsthand. "I think we could all see that it didn't look well and didn't look good," Slot remarked following the Champions League exit. "Losing a game is already very hard, especially in the way we lost it, but again - as it seems to be - losing a player is something we've had so many times this season."
Ekitike's absence represents a significant setback for both club and country. Since joining Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, the French forward has emerged as a standout performer during a challenging season for the Reds, contributing 17 goals and six assists across all competitions.
The injury timeline suggests Ekitike could also miss the start of the next domestic season, compounding Liverpool's frustration as they navigate multiple injury crises throughout their campaign. For France, Deschamps must now reconfigure his attacking options ahead of the World Cup, losing a player who had become an integral part of his evolving squad.