Striker not included in 24-man squad despite strong start at Liverpool
Hugo Ekitike will have to wait for his first call-up to the France senior team, with the striker not invited by manager Didier Deschamps side even after an impressive start to his Liverpool career.
Ekitike has scored three goals in three competitive games for Liverpool since joining the club this summer from Eintracht Frankfurt in a £79m deal.
He scored the club’s first goal of the season on his debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, before scoring on his Premier League debut against Bournemouth, and then in the high-intensity game against Newcastle on Monday.
Deschamps has nevertheless opted not to include him in the squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland, instead handing a first call-up to Monaco midfielder Maghnes Akliouche.
The 23-year-old has been kept out by other young forward options, several of whom made their debuts over the past year, including Paris Saint Germain duo Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, and Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise.
Other more established internationals in the squad are PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, and Inter Milan’s Marcus Thuram.
Ekitike last represented France at under-20 level.
