Hugo Ekitike has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in Liverpool’s Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain.
Ekitike was stretchered off half an hour into the contest after going down off the ball and France manager Didier Deschamps has now confirmed in a statement that the striker will be absent for this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“Hugo suffered a serious injury on Tuesday evening against PSG. The severity of his injury will unfortunately prevent him from finishing the season with Liverpool and participating in the World Cup,” Deschamps said.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted after the quarter-final clash that the injury looked “really bad”, while defender Ibrahima Konate – Ekitike’s teammate for both club and country – said that “because with the World Cup coming it is very, very hard for him and I send him my prayers”.
The 23-year-old has eight caps for France after breaking into the squad last September and was set to be selected by Deschamps as one of his forward options.
He has scored two goals for his country, including one in the 2-1 friendly win over Brazil during the March international break, which took place at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts – a World Cup venue for this summer.
“Hugo is one of the dozen young players who have made their debuts with the national team in recent months. He had perfectly integrated into the group, both on the pitch and off it,” Deschamps added.
“This injury is a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the France team. His disappointment is immense.
“Hugo will regain his top form, I’m convinced of it. But I wanted to express all my support to him, as well as that of the entire staff. We know he’ll be fully behind the France team, and we’re all thinking of him very strongly.”
France are drawn in Group I for the World Cup and will start their campaign against Senegal on 16 June at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium – where the World Cup final will be held – before facing Iraq on 22 June and Norway on 26 June.
