How Ekitike is proving to be so much more than an Isak back-up
The Frenchman has taken the Premier League by storm in his debut season and is now in line for even more minutes.
The claims that Liverpool were utterly foolish to go out and sign two strikers this summer seem to have gone quiet of late.
And that is no doubt because it is now obvious given Alexander Isak’s injury troubles that this difficult season could have been far worse had he been the sole addition at centre-forward in the last transfer window.
However, it is not just in this context of backing up a £125m superstar that Hugo Ekitike is proving to be a smart acquisition for the Reds.
The Frenchman is, in fact, marking himself out as one of the signings of the summer purely on the basis of his performances.
In scoring against Tottenham last time out, Ekitike made it eight goals in 16 appearances in his debut campaign in the Premier League (11 in 24 all competitions) .
None of those have come from the penalty spot, making him the second top scorer in the division by that measure - albeit 10 behind the freakish Erling Haaland.
These numbers are no fluke, either, with the striker showing his penchant for chance-getting in generating the 10th most xG in the league this term.
A look at his shot map for the season also shows a player who is always ready to get on the end of things in the centre of the opposition box.
And, unlike his predecessor Darwin Nunez, he is more often than not going to put the opportunity away.
