Hugo Ekitike ‘confronted manager behind the scenes’ in incident that speaks volumes

Hugo Ekitike made an instant impact for Liverpool in the Community Shield, but those that have worked with the striker know that his performance came from the French striker’s unwavering self-belief

Liverpool will have been delighted with Hugo Ekitike’s debut last weekend – and his commanding performance at Wembley stemmed from an unflinching self-confidence. Ekitike, 23, joined the Reds in July for a staggering £79million from Eintracht Frankfurt.

After just four minutes of Liverpool’s Community Shield defeat by Crystal Palace, Ekitike announced himself in style. He took possession on the edge of the box, dropped the shoulder and sent the ball past Dean Henderson into the bottom corner, sending the Red half of Wembley into raptures.

For those that know Ekitike, his confident strut, deft touches, classy finish and reaction to losing all came as no surprise. The young star first forged a name for himself at French side Reims, where his faith in his own ability began to take root, as he once confronted a coach behind the scenes to ask why he wasn’t playing.

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The club’s head coach at the time, David Guion, was impressed by a 17-year-old Ekitike, then playing in the reserves, and asked him to come train with the senior players.

“I watched him play in a lot of local tournaments,” Guion told The Athletic. “He was the best young player in the region. He scored a lot of goals, made good runs in behind. He was tall and rangy. It wasn’t hard to see his potential.”

After a week of training with his side, Guion was set to name his squad for the next match. Naturally, given his age and reserve team standing, Ekitike was not included.

His decision did not go down well with Ekitike. The French star asked to speak to Guion and told his boss that he had made the wrong call in omitting him – an action demonstrating that Ekitike’s stunning self belief has been present from an early age.

“He just could not understand why he was not in the squad,” Guion said. “That was Hugo. He was impatient with everything.”

Guion added: “The kid is very, very, very sure of himself. That’s his big quality. He’s very conscious of his qualities and he always aims high. He doesn’t doubt himself.”

Franck Chalencon, Ekitike’s coach at under-19 and reserve level also revealed how Ekitike also thrives off being the focal point in a team. Possibly a point of contention to come with Liverpool still linked with a blockbuster move for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, despite already having one bid rejected.

“You felt his personality on the pitch,” said Chalencon. “He had to be the leader of the attack, the star striker. He always wanted the ball, always wanted to be the one who scored or changed a match.”

Ekitike has already had one star-studded move in his career. A brief stint with European Champions PSG ended up being a baptism of fire as he struggled under Luis Enrique, making a solitary appearance.

Yet asked by Le Parisien whether he could struggle to make an impact for the French champions before the move, Ekitike’s powerful state of mind was on display again. “The risk never entered into my thinking,” he said. “My football has never let me down.”

The fact that Liverpool lost the Community Shield on penalties perhaps somewhat takes the shine off Ekitike’s debut. Yet the competitive bow of the Reds’ new No.22 will have sent plenty of encouragement to fans ahead of the new season, as will his unshakeable self-assurance.

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