Steve McManaman has previewed this season’s Champions League and he is keeping an eye on one of Liverpool’s summer additions who could have a ‘really good year’.
The Champions League is back and one Liverpool striker has been tipped to have a good tournament by Steve McManaman.
Liverpool have a strong history in this tournament, but the striker is not always the goalscoring hero. It was the club’s midfield trio of Steven Gerrard, Vladimír Šmicer and Xabi Alonso who scored the three goals in the 2005 final.
However, it was Divock Origi who scored the goal which sealed Liverpool’s victory in the 2019 final. The centre-forward was brought off the bench and made it 2-0 with just three minutes plus stoppage time remaining.
The responsibility of playing as Liverpool’s striker last season fell to Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez, while Luis Diaz made one appearance there too in the Champions League. Jota sadly passed away in the summer and the other two players have left the club, meaning the baton will be passed on to Liverpool’s new additions.
One of these is Hugo Ekitike and former Liverpool player Steve McManaman has backed the 23-year-old to rise to the occasion.
He told Bet365: “I think Hugo Ekitike could have a really good year, I’ve been really impressed by him.”
There is certainly a huge weight of pressure and expectation on Ekitike’s shoulders. He cost Liverpool a hefty £69m transfer fee, with add-ons taking the deal up by a further £10m.
This has not phased Ekitike, who made his debut for the French national team earlier this month. The forward has already bagged two goals and an assist in the Premier League and he scored in the Community Shield too.
Ekitike’s record last season was already impressive. He registered 15 goals and eight assists for Frankfurt in the Bundesliga and he will be looking to do even better for Liverpool. It is not hard to see why McManman is anticipating a strong tournament from the summer signing.
Of course, Ekitike is not the only striker Liverpool have recently added to their squad. Alexander Isak was signed and he cost significantly more. Ekitike needs to keep up his form and show Arne Slot that he deserves to be in the starting lineup.
A bit of friendly competition between the forwards could actually help them push each other to become better, which can only be something positive to Liverpool.
When speaking ahead of Liverpool clash vs Galatasaray Hugo Ekitike addressed his relationship with Isak and said
“I think it’s good. We play at such a big club. I can’t see one big club playing just with only one striker. I think it’s good that he’s here. From my age, I think I have still a lot of things to improve and learn, so for me it’s good that he’s here.”
“That’s [for] the coach to decide how he wants to play, that’s not me. But obviously you know it’s a great player. I’ve been playing in a two-striker composition, one striker, so I can do a lot of things. If we have to play together, I can do that.”
Ekitike has already shown glimpses of why Liverpool were willing to invest so heavily in him, and Tuesday night provides another stage for him to rise to the occasion. McManaman’s belief in him is shared by many at Anfield and if the Frenchman continues his current trajectory, Liverpool’s faith could be richly rewarded.
