Danny Murphy predicts how many games Hugo Ekitike could play this season after Isak arrival

Hugo Ekitike has started all five of Liverpool’s competitive matches so far this season, but how much longer that sequence will extend has been a much-discussed topic.

The Frenchman scored in each of his first three appearances of the campaign and kept his place in the starting XI against Burnley on Sunday as Arne Slot felt that Alexander Isak needed more time on the training ground to get up to speed after the lack of a pre-season.

However, once the Swedish striker is deemed fit enough to start, many pundits have predicted that he’ll displace the 23-year-old at centre-forward in the Reds’ line-up.

Murphy expects Ekitike to still get plenty of game-time

Danny Murphy is one of those who hinted that Ekitike could make way for Liverpool’s record signing, although he still expects the former Eintracht Frankfurt marksman to feature in the vast majority of our matches this term.

Speaking on Match of the Day, the ex-Reds midfielder said: “I think Isak is going to start more of the games as a striker than Ekitike because he is more rounded.

“Ekitike’s done great, and he is a younger player who is learning, and he can play different positions. Isak’s bright in terms of his link-up so I think that will help one or two of the others around him as well.

“It’s just so nice for the manager to have all these options. They are probably going to play over 60 games this season, hopefully. I think when Isak gets fit, it would be naive to think he’s not going to start in that position, and everyone else around him will play off him.”

Football is very much a squad game in the modern era

While some pundits (such as Paul Merson) have questioned the logic of Liverpool spending £69m on Ekitike and then bringing in Isak, the intense nature of modern-day football should still see both players enjoying plenty of game-time this season.

The Reds will play a minimum of 49 matches across all competitions, and realistically that figure could be closer to the 60 that Murphy mentioned, should the Reds go far in the domestic cups and Champions League.

Such a punishing fixture load will oblige Slot to utilise the full depth of his squad, and the regularity with which attacking players are substituted on/off should see both of our centre-forward signings featuring in nearly every game for which they’re available.

If Liverpool hadn’t signed Isak and were left almost solely reliant on Ekitike in the number 9 role, the pressure on the Frenchman to not only stay fit but to score regularly would be crippling.

By having both of them to call on, the Reds boss can spread the load ideally, and you can be sure that the two strikers will be massively relied upon to deliver a consistent supply of goals throughout the campaign.

The days of working with a squad of 14-15 players in a season are long gone. The demands of elite football in the modern age require virtually two full teams to play their part for a club over the course of nine months.

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