There is something quietly impressive about a young footballer who can sit in a Dolce and Gabbana suit at Wimbledon, watch world-class tennis, and genuinely mean it when he says he has made peace with the worst moment of his career so far.

Hugo Ekitike did exactly that on Friday. Cane by his side, dressed immaculately, taking in Jannik Sinner's victory over Novak Djokovic on Centre Court. Not sulking. Not performing contentment for the cameras. Just getting on with it.

The Liverpool striker ended last season as the club's top scorer with 17 goals across all competitions. That is a remarkable return for a first campaign at Anfield, and it tells you everything about the quality this lad has brought to the squad. But the fairytale ending never came. On 14 April, in a Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, Ekitike ruptured his Achilles in a 2-0 defeat. Season over. And with it, his hopes of representing France at the World Cup.

France, it is worth noting, have since stormed into the semi-finals under Didier Deschamps and are considered among the favourites to lift the trophy. Ekitike would almost certainly have been in that squad. Instead, he has been watching from afar, on holiday, processing everything while his international teammates push for glory.

But he is not bitter. Speaking to British GQ in an interview that coincided with his Wimbledon visit, Ekitike was refreshingly honest about where his head is at.

"Obviously I'm in touch with them but not a lot because they're busy playing and I'm busy with my recovery," he said of the France squad. "I wish I was there, but that's life. I am where I am, and sometimes everybody has to deal with stuff. That's my challenge and I accepted it so I'm happy for them and I hope they're going to reach the final, win it, and bring the cup back to France."

There is real maturity in those words. This is a striker who had every right to feel the world had turned against him. Seventeen goals, a ruptured Achilles, and a World Cup missed. Most would be furious. Ekitike sounds like a man who has done the hard mental work and come through the other side.

The Wimbledon visit was more than just a distraction, mind. It turns out the Liverpool forward is a genuine tennis enthusiast, not just another footballer turning up for the social media opportunity.

"Honestly, it's not something I've shown a lot but I really like tennis," he said. "It's the kind of sport like boxing where it's very individual. And I like the fact that you have to deal with pressure for three, four, five hours in a game. It's going to be intense, but I'm glad to be here."

He watched Sinner beat Djokovic to set up a Sunday final with Alexander Zverev. For a lad who appreciates the mental grind of individual sport, watching one of the game's great champions eventually fall to a younger pretender must have felt strangely fitting. Sport moves on. You either adapt or you get left behind.

Ekitike is very much in adaptation mode. Earlier in the week, he was back at Liverpool's AXA Training Centre for an assessment of his rehabilitation, now over three months on from the injury. The details of that assessment have not been disclosed, but the fact he was back at the club's training base suggests the process is being monitored closely and that he remains very much part of Liverpool's plans.

A ruptured Achilles is one of the most serious injuries a footballer can suffer. Recovery timelines vary, and there will be no rushing this one. Liverpool will know better than most the importance of bringing him back properly rather than quickly.

What is clear from everything Ekitike has said and done in recent days is that the mindset is right. Seventeen goals in his first season at Anfield. A genuine acceptance of adversity. A hunger to get back. This is not a player who is drifting.

When Hugo Ekitike does return to that pitch in a red shirt, something tells me he will have a score or two to settle.