France striker Hugo Ekitike will miss the World Cup after suffering a rupture of the Achilles tendon duringLiverpool's Champions League defeat by Paris St-Germain on Tuesday.
Ekitike left the pitch at Anfield on a stretcher after slipping in the first half andLiverpoolfear a long absence for the 23-year-old, which could also rule him out of the start of next season.
"It's hard, maybe even unfair. but I'm grateful this is happening to me here, among you. I'm not alone," Ekitike wrote toLiverpoolfans on social media.
"Your strength and your love will be my driving force. See you again soon, Anfield. "
He went for scans on Wednesday, which confirmed the extent of the damage.
In a statement on Thursday,Liverpooldid not give a timeline for the recovery.
"Scans on the issue have subsequently confirmed a rupture of the Achilles tendon," the club said.
"Ekitike will therefore be sidelined for the remaining weeks of the club season and unable to participate at this summer's World Cup with France.
"Further updates will be provided at the appropriate time. "
He said: "Hugo is one of the dozen young players who have made their debuts with the national team in recent months. He had perfectly integrated into the group, both on the pitch and off it. This injury is a huge blow for him, of course, but also for the France team.
"His disappointment is immense. Hugo will regain his top form, I'm convinced of it. But I wanted to express all my support to him, as well as that of the entire staff. We know he'll be fully behind the France team, and we're all thinking of him very strongly. "
Ekitike joinedLiverpoolfrom Eintracht Frankfurt last July and has been one of their standout performers in a difficult season for the club, with 17 goals and six assists in all competitions.
Speaking after the quarter-final second-leg loss by PSG, head coach Arne Slot said of his frontman's injury: "I think we could all see that it didn't look well and didn't look good.
"It's especially very hard for him because you never want to be injured, especially not at this moment of time in the season. "
In January, Ekitike became just the second player after the iconic Kenny Dalglish to score in five different competitions during their debut campaign withLiverpool.
He made his France debut last September and was set to be part of Deschamps' squad at the World Cup.
Liverpoolhave suffered a number of setbacks this season, with both teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni and full-back Conor Bradley ruled out for the rest of the season with injuries.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker and midfielder Wataru Endo also remain sidelined, while Sweden striker Alexander Isak returned this month from an ankle injury that he suffered in December.
'Huge blow for France and Liverpool'
It is a big blow for the French. I think Ekitike would have started for them on the left-hand side at the World Cup in a 4-2-3-1 along with Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele in that front four.
Deschamps never really talks about players being injured but he has released this statement through the French federation and I think that shows how bad they feel about this injury.
We are waiting to see if it is a partial rupture or full rupture of the Achilles and that will decide whether he is out for six months, or more like nine to 12 months.
It is a huge shame, because he was in such great form and he had such a great impact for France in the last international break in the United States, firstly against Brazil [he scored the second goal in a 2-1 win in the USA] and then Colombia [as a substitute] too to an extent.
So, it is a huge blow for France but also for him on a personal level because he might not even be back before 2027.
And it's also a huge blow I think forLiverpool, not just to finish this season well and make the top five in the Premier League, but also what do they do for next season.
If they go and sign another forward, then when Ekitike comes back they might have a problem with too many options, but they might have to because if he is out for at least nine months - if it is a full rupture - then they will need something else for next season.