Arne Slot backs Hugo Ekitike to stay fit and firing as Liverpool prepare to entertain Wolves on Saturday
Arne Slot has backed an in-form Hugo Ekitike to stay fit and firing during Alexander Isak’s recovery from a broken leg as the Liverpool striker gets set to lead the line against Wolves on Saturday.
Ekitike, who has scored five goals in his last three Premier League appearances, is now Slot’s only available senior centre forward after Isak underwent surgery on a broken leg at a time when Cody Gakpo is sidelined and Mohamed Salah is with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Slot also pointed to Federico Chiesa’s availability but the versatile Italian has made just one Premier League start for the Reds since his move in August 2024.
READ MORE: Diogo Jota’s sons to be Liverpool mascots vs Wolves as Arne Slot sends emotional message
A specific timescale is not being placed on Isak’s rehabilitation process but the £125m forward will be out for a number of months after undergoing surgery last week following the injury he picked up in the 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur.
And Slot says Ekitike has worked hard to get to the level he is currently at for the Reds ahead of the visit from the rock-bottom Wolves this weekend.
“He’s shown a lot of hard work to get to this fitness level where he is at the moment. It sometimes took us a bit of convincing (him) that this all is actually really needed to become stronger but he always did it,” Slot said.
“Not always with a smile on his face but he’s worked really hard to get fitter and fitter on and off the pitch. I’ve tried to convince him as well that the better you defend a set-piece, the bigger chance you have to score a goal at the other end.
“If it’s 0-0, it’s easier to score a goal than when you’re 1-0 down. This might sound strange but what it does for the energy levels of the other team is a difference. For him to score goals, it’s also important that we hardly concede from set-pieces.
“He’s worked really hard to get where he is now and I think he’s ready to go into the programme we are facing now but he’s not the only No.9 I have. Federico Chiesa can also play in that position so I have the chance to take him off if he’s completely tired.”
Slot added: “The main thing that has changed (during a six-game unbeaten run), apart from the second half at Brighton, is that we haven’t conceded as many chances as we did in the run we had before. I also think we’ve been a bit more lucky than in the games before.
“We played games where we were so much better than the other team, in terms of everything. The main thing people always look at is chance creation against chances you’ve conceded. In the last game against Spurs, I don’t think we had many more chances than them and against Brighton, it was equal as well. But we won those two games.
“Many times, we’ve been so unlucky with the result. In the last two games, I wouldn’t say we don’t deserve it but it was more equal than many other games we’ve played and lost. That’s the nice part of football that the performance doesn’t always give you the result.”
