Hugo Ekitike gets first France call-up after Cherki’s thigh injury ahead of World Cup 2026 qualifiers; details inside

The French Football Federation announced that on Sunday, August 31, 2025, Liverpool Striker Hugo Ekitike announced that it will replace the wounded Cherki in the French squad for World Cup qualifiers on September 2025. Despite his bright onset in Liverpool, the 23 -year -old Ekitike, who was ignored in his first squad in his first squad, despite his first call.

French coach Didier Deschamps returned to the unlocked Ekitike after he was excluded to two months after he continued the thigh muscle damage of Cherki, who joined Manchester City in June 2025. Following 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, Manchester City Director Pep Guardiola said that Cherki had kidnapped the match with a disability and would be thrown out for two or seven to eight weeks and would go out of Manchester Derby on September 14.

In July 2025, Ekitike scored three goals since Eintracht Frankfurt joined the Premier League champions. France will face Ukraine in Wroclaw in Poland on September 5, and will host Iceland after four days. Before playing with Arsenal of Sunday, Ekitike had an impressive start to his Liverpool career since Eintracht Frankfurt arrived with three goals on three goals.
Ekitike scored five goals in five matches for France under the age of 21 last season. He has been struggling to fill the 9, Olivier Giroud’s international retirement. Nevertheless, Ekitike, Deschamps, on September 5, 2025 on Friday, Ukraine in Poland and on September 9 against Iceland against the opening of the opening of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers was missed.

As FFF is quoted by AFP, Cherki, which cannot be used for Manchester City in the British Premier League on Sunday, is called “Torn Left Kuadriseps”. City manager Pep Guardiola, after the defeat of the team’s 2-1 in Brighton Sunday, “It went up to two months.” He said.