Hugo Ekitike has given his seal of approval to Liverpool fans’ new chant and cheekily added that he wants to “hear it louder.”
He may only have been at Liverpool a matter of weeks, but Ekitike has already made a mark on supporters, scoring in the Community Shield and on his competitive debut against Bournemouth.
With Liverpool fans in good voice on opening night at Anfield, they quickly came up with a chant to serenade their new striker.
To the tune of ‘Do the Conga’, fans repeatedly sang, ‘Duh, duh, duh, Hugo Ekitike‘.
It didn’t take long for Ekitike to cotton on to the fact his name was already being sung by the crowd, with the Frenchman talking about the feeling to Liverpoolfc.com.
The 23-year-old said: “I heard the song when I was [in the] corner. It was amazing. I’m very grateful and I want to hear it louder next time! It was fun.”
Ekitike, who signed from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth up to £79m, impressed on his first Anfield showing and scored the opening goal after 37 minutes.
Breaking down his strike, the attacker recalled: “I’ve been a bit lucky with the touch. I tried to meg the defender but the ball came back and then I was alone.”
Ekitike worked to create his element of luck, and he slotted calmly once the chance fell to him. He followed up by making a ’20’ gesture with his fingers to commemorate Diogo Jota.
“The celebration [was] for Diogo because I think it was an important day for him and his family and for the crowd. Obviously we were celebrating him,” he added.
Ekitike’s night of action ended in the 72nd minute, as he was brought off for Joe Gomez, but he was still very much switched on as he watched on from the bench.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he remarked: “It’s an amazing stadium. The fans at the end when it was at 2-2, they pushed so much. Even on the bench, I enjoyed it.
“I wanted to be in the crowd! It’s just amazing. But it’s the first game, we have so much to do to get better and to reach our goals.”
Among those goals should be the Premier League title, and the young forward already looks like he will be a pivotal part of any title push.