Ekitike wins late France call up as Cherki drops out

Before Sunday's game with Arsenal, Ekitike had made an impressive start to his Liverpool career with three goals in three competitive outings since arriving in the close-season from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 23-year-old striker also scored five goals in five appearances for the France Under-21 side last season. Ekitike is a No.9, a position coach Didier Deschamps has struggled to fill since Olivier Giroud's international retirement.

Yet Ekitike was omitted when Deschamps announced his squad for France's opening 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine in Poland on Friday and against Iceland in Paris on September 9.

Cherki, who was unavailable on Sunday for Manchester City in the English Premier League, is suffering from a "torn left quadriceps," the FFF said. "He's out for two months or so," City manager Pep Guardiola said on Sunday after his team's 2-1 defeat at Brighton.

The weekend fixtures may have left Deschamps with other problems. Striker Ousmane Dembele left the pitch holding his left hamstring after scoring twice as Paris Saint-Germain beat Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Defender William Saliba, who missed the Nations League Final Four in June, went off five minutes into Arsenal's Premier League clash with Liverpool on Sunday after a collision with Ekitike.

Another member of the France squad, Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate, also limped off in the 79th minute.