Liverpool's Hugo Ekitiké: Suffers ruptured Achilles

Ekitike suffered a rupture of the Achilles tendon during the first half of Tuesday's Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain and is ruled out for the season and the World Cup with France, according to the club.

Analysis:

Ekitike went down in the first half of Tuesday's Champions League quarterfinal second leg against PSG without any contact, collapsing to the ground after planting his foot, and the scans revealed that he suffered a rupture of the Achilles tendon. The Frenchman is now expected to be sidelined for about nine months and the blow could hardly be more devastating for the striker, who had been one of Liverpool's most important players this season with 15 goals and six assists across 43 appearances across all competitions, and who was firmly in contention for a spot in coach Didier Deschamps' World Cup squad. Alexander Isak is now expected to take on a larger role as Liverpool's main striker when back to full fitness, while Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola are the leading candidates to fill Ekitike's left wing spot for Les Bleus this summer.