Hugo Ekitike has been seen stepping up his recovery from a long-term Achilles injury with a visit to a California-based physiotherapist.
Just under three months ago, the Liverpool striker had a terrific debut season stopped in its tracks after suffering the serious body blow in the Champions League exit to his former club Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield.
There were initial projections that he’d be sidelined for nine months, thus ruling him out for the remainder of 2026, although reports from France last month suggested that he’s hoping to be back in action by Christmas.
A video uploaded by Berengar Buschmann on Instagram shows Ekitike being put through his paces by the physio in Los Angeles, with the duo having a long-standing working relationship.
The footage shows the 24-year-old undergoing some ball work, aquatic aerobics and weight-bearing exercises designed to strengthen the Achilles, with the Frenchman seen grimacing at times as he grinds through the recovery process.
The Liverpool Echo claimed that the striker is due to report for sessions with Liverpool’s medical team later this month when the squad starts to convene for pre-season at the AXA Training Centre.
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It’s set to be a case of gradual yet significant steps on the road to recovery for Ekitike, who was the Reds’ top scorer last season and the one summer signing to have been an unqualified success at Anfield thus far.
With our number 22 not due to return for another few months, it increases the reliance on Alexander Isak to remain consistently fit, which hasn’t been the case for the Swedish marksman since his arrival on Merseyside last year.
At least he played almost the entirety of his country’s World Cup run before their elimination by France in the round of 32, which offers some hope that Liverpool’s number 9 might prove to be more robust and durable in the upcoming campaign.
Whenever Ekitike does return, he’ll naturally need a bit of time to fully get back up to speed and hopefully rediscover the same performance levels that he’d shown throughout his first season with the Reds.
It’s still a long road back to full recovery for the 24-year-old, but the footage from Buschmann suggests that he’s getting there step by step.
You can view the footage of Ekitike’s gym work below, via physiober on Instagram:
A post shared by Berengar Buschmann (@physiober)
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