‘He doesn’t deserve to come here’ – Cameroon slam door on Hugo Ekitiké after France snub

Didier Deschamps isn’t the only manager unwilling to call up Hugo Ekitiké (23) to the international stage.

On Friday, the Liverpool striker’s options regarding which country he’ll commit to became clear: it’s either Les Bleus or nowhere.

Advertisement

That’s because Cameroon are no longer an option for the Reims-born attacker, at least not while Marc Brys is in charge.

The Indomitable Lions boss made his feelings known regarding the former two-time Ligue 1 champion.

“I didn’t contact him. He put all his money into trying to play with France but he didn’t succeed. And now we, Cameroon, are the second choice? I don’t need to be a second choice,” said Brys.

He added, “He doesn’t deserve to come here […] We have good players who play with their heart. I don’t need a star.”

Cameroon are preparing for some upcoming World Cup qualifiers, hosting Eswatini on September 1 before travelling to Cape Verde seven days later. Evidently, Ekitiké was not up for consideration by Brys.

Advertisement

Ekitiké was born to a Cameroonian father and French mother, leaving the door open for him to play for the African side, until Friday.

This summer, the Frenchman signed a six-year contract with Liverpool for a fee of up to €95 million, with add-ons.

Despite scoring in each of his first two Premier League matches, Ekitiké was not selected to Didier Deschamps’ squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Ekitiké is the first player to score in each of his first three competitive matches at Liverpool. Les Bleus face Ukraine on September 5 before hosting Iceland at the Parc des Princes the following Tuesday.

For his part, Ekitiké has earned a total of 11 caps for France’s youth teams, scoring five goals in five appearances with the U-21s.

Advertisement

GFFN | Joel Lefevre