Hugo Ekitike attends Wimbledon on crutches as Liverpool star continues to recover from injury
Hugo Ekitike attended Wimbledon in style – giving fans an idea of how his recovery from a ruptured Achilles is going.
The Liverpool forward picked up the injury in the Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain in April.
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He was brutally deprived of a place in the French team that will play in the World Cup, although Les Bleus have not missed a striker as there are still two wins left in this tournament.
With more time off and unable to participate properly in Liverpool’s pre-season, Ekitike headed down south to SW19 for Friday’s action.
The 24-year-old, who is expected to retire in 2026, showed off his fashion team at the All England Club, wearing a Dolce and Gabbana suit with a paisley print tie.
He filled this dress with a stick, which was probably used to reduce the weight he was putting on his right foot.
Ekitike wasn’t Liverpool’s only star at Wimbledon on Friday, with captain Virgil van Dijk also in attendance.
Van Dijk was parked in the Royal Box alongside actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
The towering defender was able to attend after the Netherlands lost to Morocco on penalties in the 32nd round of the World Cup.
It was the first time for the Netherlands to go out of the World Cup since 2006, which caused Ronald Koeman to resign immediately.
Which Wimbledon matches did Ekitike and Van Dijk watch?
Friday’s matches at Wimbledon gave Ekitike and Van Dijk ample opportunity to distract themselves from football.
In the first tournament on Center Court, British underdog Arthur Fery had his dream ended by Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
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The semi-final proved to be a step too far for Fery, who entered the main tournament as a wild card, but walked away from Wimbledon with £900,000 in prize money and a new ranking of No.36.
In the other semifinal, Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Big changes are coming to Anfield
Although Ekitike and Van Dijk were able to enjoy a day of tennis, their attention will shift to pre-season.
Ekitike is not expected to return until 2027 and Van Dijk will soon be reunited with his teammates having been given extra time off due to the World Cup.
The pair will have a new man at the helm as Andoni Iraola replaces Arne Slot following Liverpool’s disappointing Premier League title defence.
Liverpool also wasted little time in strengthening, with Jeremy Jacquet officially arriving after the Reds agreed a deal worth up to £60m with Rennes in January while Victor Munoz joined Osasuna in a £34m deal.
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