Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike says it is “difficult” to know that he is playing regularly because of Alexander Isak’s leg fracture.
The £125m signing from Newcastle scored against Tottenham but was challenged by Micky van de Ven, and has since been ruled out for a huge period due to a leg fracture that needed surgery.
Ekitike is now Liverpool’s first-choice No.9 after Isak’s injury against Spurs. This season, he has scored 11 goals in all competitions, and is likely to be trusted to lead the line throughout the rest of the season after Isak’s bitter blow.
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He told Liverpool’s official website: “Obviously that kind of thing happened and I was very sorry for him because it’s not funny when you come to a new club and get injured with that kind of injury, it’s difficult. But for me, I try to do my job.
“The coach puts me on the pitch and I’ll show him and show the fans that I can help the team. It doesn’t matter if I score, if I give assists, the most important [thing] for me is to win.”
He added: “It was obviously special to play [around] Christmas and the next day after New Year. It’s really exciting. I was in a position when I was watching on TV, so being here and able to play that kind of game is a blessing. Now we’re going back to a busy, busy period, a lot of games in this month of January, but it’s up to us to be fit, recover well after every game and be ready for the next one all the time.”
Ekitike said: “Obviously it’s part of my job, our job. Football is my passion, so I do everything well and 100 per cent of things I can do to be fit and able to play every game. But for me, it’s not even work, it’s my passion. I love doing that and that’s what we need to do.”
Liverpool drew with Leeds last in a disappointing display, but Ekitike has told the Reds to find a way to keep their unbeaten run going. They have not lost since November, when they were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest.
Ekitike added: “It was a difficult game to face, a difficult team to face. They were playing a low block, not much ball and we [had] to create chances. But it’s a lesson. We need to take the good things of this game and go to Fulham and show that we are always able to get better. We didn’t win but we didn’t lose, so it’s up to us to look forward and go to the next game and win.”
He continued: “Obviously it was a tough period for us but we just stick together, try to work. Obviously now it’s a bit better but I can’t say it’s the best because we have had a few draws in the last series. But I think the most important [thing] when you play here is to win, so we can’t be happy.”
Exactly