There was always going to be interest in how our squad returned from the international break, but few expected the day at Kirkby to begin with a moment that summed up the tight bond inside our dressing room.
As players arrived for training ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with Nottingham Forest, our X account posted a short clip of Hugo Ekitike walking around the AXA Training Centre holding the Germany shirt worn by Florian Wirtz this week.
The Bavarian-born midfielder is recovering from the muscle injury that Arne Slot discussed earlier today, when the Dutchman noted that “Florian Wirtz is unable to play. That’s far from ideal.”
Even so, the 22-year-old still found the time to think of his teammate by bringing over the jersey he wore last week.
That follows the much-talked-about Instagram exchange in which the former Eintracht Frankfurt striker commented “Bring the jersey !!!” under Wirtz’s post celebrating Germany’s win in their new World Cup kit.
Liverpool prepare for Forest as Wirtz watches on from the sidelines
https://t.co/q6pV17q9RI pic.twitter.com/rGPSp5L43L
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 21, 2025
The timing of the gesture could hardly be better for the French forward, especially after his breakout international performance during the break.
Our No.22 came off the bench to score his first senior goal for his country before adding a sharp input for Kylian Mbappe, later describing it as “a childhood dream”.
That confidence will be needed at Anfield, particularly with Wirtz set to miss the trip and Conor Bradley also sidelined with a similar muscle issue.
Ekitike aims to repay Wirtz gesture against Nottingham Forest
With Wirtz temporarily unavailable, the responsibility to provide attacking threat naturally shifts towards Ekitike, who looked relaxed and energised at Kirkby as he posed with the Germany top.
If the Frenchman can repay Wirtz’s kindness with a goal or two tomorrow, the moment caught on camera today might become one of the season’s most memorable.
You can view Ekitike’s comments via Wirtz’s Instagram post:
You can view Slot’s pre-Nottingham Forest press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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