Arne Slot: Liverpool boss jokes they look 'smart' after signing two No9s following Hugo Ekitike injury

Liverpool now look “smart” to sign two centre-forwards this summer, according to Arne Slot, who has backed Hugo Ekitike to come back stronger than ever from his “devastating” injury.

The Liverpool forward will miss the rest of this season and the World Cup with France and could also be forced to sit out a significant part of the next campaign after rupturing his right Achilles tendon during Tuesday’s Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

The timing of Ekitike’s injury is unfortunate for Slot, with Alexander Isak having only just returned from his own long-term break.

The summer signing started his first game since December in Tuesday’s 2-0 loss but struggled to make an impact and was substituted at half-time.

Slot said: “It is devastating for him [Ekitike] to come to a new club and make an impact.

“My first thoughts are that he has been out for so long and missed special moments. He is not the first or the last to experience this. There are so many examples of players who came back even stronger – that is his challenge. He could be one of those in 10-15 years who will say that the injury made him stronger and to perform at an even higher level than before.”

Slot added: “First of all it’s a good thing we’ve signed two No9s because there were a lot of people debating why we did it.

“We thought it might be a smart idea not to be the only club in the world to only have one No. 9. Now people might be asking if we should sign another No. 9.

“Someone said to me the next day [PSG]you can’t script that on the day Alex is back after four months, the other side leaves the field with a long-term injury. It is a good thing that Alex is back now even more, but we also know that he is not ready to play 90 [minutes] yet.”

Castle: The future is bright

Liverpool’s sole focus is on securing Champions League football, starting with Sunday’s crunch Merseyside derby with Everton, live on Sky Sports.

Slot believes that Tuesday’s performance against PSG points to a positive future despite the 2-0 defeat

“We were able to have more possession, to generate 21 shots, to have a high xG against a team that is used to them dominating possession,” he said.

“Even if you take into account that Hugo had to go off after 30 minutes, Alex had to go off at half-time. If you wanted to see them play over 90 minutes at their best, then this team has already shown, as they did in so many other moments, that they can compete with the best teams in Europe.

“It tells you that this is already a very strong team, but it needs some changes with Robbo [Andy Robertson] and Mo [Salah] travels – but the future looks bright for us.

“We’re a trading club, so first let’s see what’s actually going to happen in the summer.”

‘No mistakes now for Liverpool in the run-in’

Analysis from Liverpool’s press conference from Sky Sports news reporter Vinny O’Connor:

“Devastating for him,” was how Arne Slot summed up the news that Hugo Ekitike has ruptured his right Achilles tendon.

Along with the confirmation that Liverpool’s top scorer across all competitions still needs surgery, there was a prediction that he will come back stronger and even more ready to perform at the highest level. Something Liverpool as a whole have only managed in attack and starts this season.

Again there was a repetition from Slot that the future is bright. There will be changes over the summer, not least because Mo Salah and Andy Robertson are confirmed departures, and without talking numbers, Slot talked about the decisions they face on how to go about it. Kostas Tsimikas must, for example, back from his loan and has a year left on his contract, while in looking to replace Salah they go for similar or look at something else?

It was part tongue-in-cheek, but given the debate over whether Liverpool were right to sign two No.9s last summer, there was an acknowledgment that the question is already being asked whether they should sign another striker.

In the short term, what Slot must deliver is Champions League football next season.

In that regard, the win over Fulham has given Liverpool some breathing room ahead of the first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson.

Last season he faced an Everton side desperate not to lose the final derby at Goodison and there is a similarity in motivation with this being Liverpool’s first visit to their new home.

For Slot, however, the bottom line is that things can change quickly in football, and a fall at the weekend once again creates pressure in the battle for Champions League qualification.