A window into the recovery

Hugo Ekitike is not the type to go quiet, and even from the treatment table he is keeping supporters in the loop. The Liverpool striker, who has been working through the long and demanding process of recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, acknowledged a post from the Centre Medical de Clairefontaine on his Instagram story, giving fans their latest glimpse of where things stand with his rehabilitation.

The centre, which serves as the medical facility for France's men's and women's national teams, shared photographs of Ekitike going through his recovery work and accompanied them with a warm message: "At Clairefontaine, there is the Chateau for national team call-ups... and the Medical Centre for their rehabilitation. Thank you to our Bleus* and Bleues for their trust." Ekitike shared the post and liked it, a small gesture, but a reminder that the 24-year-old is progressing and making use of top-level facilities as he works his way back.

What Liverpool are waiting for

Ekitike suffered the Achilles injury back in April, which brought his debut season at Anfield to a premature close. Before that setback, the France international had made quite the impression, scoring 17 goals after Liverpool brought him in from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth up to £79million. The potential was clear; the cruelty of the injury equally so.

Since then, Ekitike has undergone surgery and has been steadily building towards a return. But Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola was clear-eyed about the timeline when he addressed it during pre-season. "In terms of order, I think the closest one to returning is [Giovanni] Leoni. After will be Conor [Bradley] and Hugo [Ekitike], but especially the last two are still way off," he said in July. "We are talking about months and still a lot of time out." Those words carry weight, and nothing since has suggested the picture has changed dramatically.

The bigger injury picture at Anfield

Ekitike is not the only one the club are waiting on. Giovanni Leoni has been absent since rupturing his ACL on his debut last September, whilst Conor Bradley has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in January. The three long-term absentees represent a significant chunk of Liverpool's squad depth, and Iraola's pre-season comments indicated Leoni is the nearest to a return of the trio.

Beyond that group, the early weeks of the new Premier League season have brought further concerns. Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa were both unavailable for Liverpool's opening fixtures, draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, adding to what is already a testing injury list for the squad to navigate. It is a situation that asks real questions of the depth and resilience within the group, and every week that passes without Ekitike, Leoni and Bradley is another week those questions go unanswered.

When can Liverpool expect him back?

There is no fresh timeline attached to Ekitike's Clairefontaine update, this is rehabilitation in progress, not a return date. Achilles tendon ruptures are notoriously difficult injuries to rush, and the fact that Iraola spoke of "months" remaining when pre-season began suggests supporters should not expect to see the striker back on the pitch any time soon. The positive signs are there, the surgery went well, the work continues, and Ekitike appears fully committed to the process.

For now, Liverpool fans will take the Instagram acknowledgement for what it is: proof that one of their most exciting attackers is grafting away behind the scenes, doing everything he can to make his return count when it eventually comes.