Hugo Ekitike’s season is over and the 23-year-old French international knows that he will miss the World Cup this summer and then pre-season and the start of the 2026-27 season with Liverpool, but he has already begun the long road to recovery following news that he successfully underwent surgery on his ruptured achilles.
Confirmation comes today from L’Equipe, with the French broadsheet saying that Ekitike in fact underwent the surgery five days ago in London, with the surgery remotely supervised
by the doctor who preformed a similar surgery on NBA star Jason Tatum’s ruptured achilles in 2024. Tatum’s surgery and subsequent recovery are widely considered the best outcome for an athlete who has suffered such an injury.
Even in a best case scenario, though, it’s likely the Liverpool striker will be sidelined for at least eight to ten months before he is able to begin full training again, and recovering strength and match fitness at that stage will still take considerable time and effort.
It’s a timeline that could optimistically see Ekitike begin his reintegration into the squad in December with a targeted return in the new year. In a season that saw Liverpool sign two £100M+ players in Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Ekitike made a mark as the Reds’ best new arrival in a largely disappointing season, and if he can return looking his best he will be key to the team’s long-term aspirations.
