Ekitike joined from Eintracht Frankfurt in July in a deal worth up to £79M and despite all eyes being on Alexander Isak at the start of the season, he has become Liverpool’s star man.
He has already grabbed 15 goals for the season, two of which came in the 4-1 victory over Newcastle United on Saturday evening. He has been a revelation at the club and is arguably the Premier League’s best striker at the present moment.
Ekitike can be compared to the very best
One pundit and former manager who has been impressed is Sherwood who spoke to CasinoStugan about how Ekitike can already be compared to some of the greats.
“I don’t think there is a huge amount of depth when it comes to number nines in the game at the moment. You around the world and who everyone is fighting over. You’ve got Erling Haaland and we talk about Benjamin Sesko, Nick Woltemade and even Viktor Gyokeres, and they’re not like Alan Shearer or Thierry Henry or Les Ferdinand or Teddy Sheringham.
“You don’t see many proper centre-forwards now because teams aren’t playing towards them like they used to.
“Ekitike has been brilliant for Liverpool and I think he would be one where you see the quality, but in the summer he was seen as the less attractive option compared to others and had a lot less noise around him. But he’s the one that has fit in, and he’s got a real all round game.
“He can run in behind, he can hold up the ball, he’s a nuisance in the box and an instinctive finisher. In a poor season for Liverpool, he’s been exceptional. In hindsight, he would have been the one striker you would have wanted to pick over the rest of them on the market.”
Ekitike has also been compared to Liverpool hero Fernando Torres, who scored 24 Premier League goals in his debut season. He will aim to continue his fine form against Manchester City at the weekend as his side hope to jump into the top 4.