El Nino. Fernando Torres. The nickname and the name bring a smile to the faces of Liverpool supporters who got to experience the Spanish striker. Legend Steven Gerrard also smiles when he flashbacks Torres in the Liverpool shirt in today’s Reds squad.
Alexander Isak was the big star of the Premier League, Liverpool refused to give up in the negotiations, the Merseyside club had to shell out an astronomical (and then some) £125 million. It turned out that a French 23-year-old worth a total of 79 million euros has taken all the focus on the match arena. Isak has been given focus when he has been ready to play and not injured, but has not been close to playing warm in the red shirt like Hugo Ekitike. The player Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard compares to El Nino.
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With a 0-1 lead to Newcastle in Saturday’s Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool supporters were already preparing for another disappointing defeat. Then it narrowed from the Frenchman. However, in the space of 138 seconds, Hugo Ekitike changed the whole mood on Merseyside. The Frenchman’s first goal – a finish near the post after Florian Wirtz’s brilliant pass, saw his second goal lift the roof around Anfield.
The mix of speed, power and precision from a striker with magic in his boots, made it all feel very familiar – especially for Steven Gerrard.
“Ekitike reminds me of (Fernando) Torres every time I see him,” the former Liverpool captain enthusiastically told TNT Sports. “He scores similar types of goals, where if you give him space in the channel, he runs. He’s too fast, you can’t catch him, and he’s deadly.”
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