Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike, who has Cameroonian root has been handed his first call up to the France national team following an injury setback to Rayan Cherki.
Ekitike, who has yet to feature for the France senior team now gets the opportunity to represent the European country ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers, replacing injured Algerian rooted winger Rayan Cherki.
France will face Ukraine and Poland in a high-stake World Cup qualifying games scheduled for September 2025.
Cherki, who is in the books of Manchester City had to pull out of the squad after sustaining a thigh injury. He missed their game against Brighton and Hove Albion, where his outfit succumbed to a 2-1 defeat, marking the club’s second straight defeat in the Premier League after a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham.
Despite having Algeria root, Cherki, a former player of Lyon has opted to represent France at the international just like Ekitike.
Ekitike has been impressive since joining Liverpool from Frankfurt. The 23-year-old has racked up two goals and provided an assist in two Premier League games so far.
