Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike shares emotional post following Achilles surgery

Ekitike captioned his post-surgery Instagram post, 'I'm out of here, I'll be back soon' -Credit:Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images

The opening image showed him seated in a room with a protective boot on his leg, before an AI-generated clip depicted him discarding his crutches and netting a goal against Manchester City.

The third showed Ekitike seated in a wheelchair in a hospital, while the fourth captured him playing video games alongside friends. Most poignant of all was another AI-generated image of Ekitike standing in tears wearing his France kit, reaching out towards a shattered World Cup trophy.

This serves as a stark reminder that the forward will miss this summer's tournament in North America, as well as a significant portion of next season, should current predictions prove accurate.

Separately, Ekitike also posted a brief video featuring the late musician Mac Miller. The rapper, who passed away aged just 26 in 2018, can be heard saying in the footage: "Life is good though. I want y'all to see that life is great.

"Your life is great too. Have a good time, man.

"Have some fun, having fun is okay. Get some love in your life, whether that be another person or just loving yourself, man. Love is good, spread love.

"Spread love. I'm out of here, I'll be back soon."

Ekitike additionally shared that footage to his account's stories section.

Liverpool were swift to respond to the post, offering their backing to their forward. They commented: "We're with you all the way, Hugo."

The Reds' next game will see them host Crystal Palace at Anfield on Saturday, April 25 - an encounter in which they may be forced to rely upon Alexander Isak to spearhead the attack despite the Swedish international having only recently returned from a leg fracture suffered in December.