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The French forward, who has been in impressive form as Liverpool's leading scorer this season, will sit out for the Fulham match.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has revealed the reason behind star striker Hugo Ekitike's absence from the squad for their Premier League clash against Fulham on Sunday (January 4). The decision raised concerns ahead of a crucial showdown with leaders Arsenal.
Hugo Ekitike's injury and impact on the squad
The French forward, who has been in impressive form as Liverpool's leading scorer this season, will sit out for the Fulham match due to a minor hamstring issue. Slot attributed the problem to the intense festive schedule and Ekitike's heavy workload.
With key attackers sidelined, the 23-year-old has shouldered much of the responsibility up front. Mohamed Salah has missed recent games while representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, and fellow striker Alexander Isak remains out with a long-term ankle injury.
Ekitike started in Liverpool's home victory over Wolves and the stalemate against Leeds United, playing full minutes in both.
What did Arne Slot say about the issue?
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Fulham game, Arne Slot explained the situation in detail.
"Isak has been out for a few weeks now, and that's meant Ekitike had to play more minutes than the previous part of the season."
"That's led to him picking up a slight hamstring injury, and for a player of his age, not completely used to the Premier League, that's been a bit too much.
“That’s why he will be out for today, and hopefully back for the Arsenal game,” he added.
Liverpool team news
Mohamed Salah is away on international duty with Egypt at AFCON. Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni, and Jeremie Frimpong are unavailable due to injuries, while Joe Gomez features on the bench and Florian Wirtz has been named in the starting line-up. Hugo Ekitike is not part of the squad.
Liverpool confirmed line-up
Alisson Becker; Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones; Florian Wirtz, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai; Cody Gakpo.
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