Hugo Ekitike wants to ‘share the pitch’ with Alexander Isak as Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists ‘there is no headache’ after Merseyside derby win

While the pair have yet to share a minute on the pitch together, Ekitike said he wishes they will be able to fit into the same team one day.

“He’s a very, very good player,” Ekitike told TNT Sports. “I always watched him before I came here. For me, him being here is really good; I can learn and improve myself.

“There’s competition, but I know we’re going to play together and make a difference. I hope one day we’re going to share the pitch.

“It’s the coach’s problem. For me, I just do my job, so it’s really good.”

Slot said: “There is no headache at all, because I even think that these two players are happy that we have them both.

“Maybe for the long term they will feel like, ‘what does this mean for my playing time?’ But both of them know that it’s impossible – I’m not saying impossible, but very hard for them to play three times, 90 (minutes every week).

“Hugo is (23), comes from a different league to a new intensity league, playing three games in seven days. You can see the ones who are used to that – Ryan (Gravenberch), Dominik Szoboszlai, Virgil (van Dijk), Ibou (Konate), Mo (Salah) – they are used to that.

“But the new ones, for them it’s harder. I would say other teams who we are in competition with, they have more than one striker as well.

“You can ask me this question about every position. You can go to every manager in the league and ask him about (the fact) he has two strikers, two No. 7s, two No. 11s.

“That’s why everybody loves this league because there are so many great players, and yes, we have two very good No. 9s as well, like many other teams in this league.”

For Isak and Ekitike to share the same pitch, it would be expected that either the omnipresent Mohamed Salah or regular starter Cody Gakpo would have to make way.

And TNT Sports expert Peter Crouch believes that Gakpo is showing enough to reward the faith placed in him by his manager.

“I thought he was fantastic again today. Without doubt (he is a player Slot seems to trust) and you can see why. He hasn’t let anyone down. I thought he was so strong, playing right in front of us.

“He’s a manager’s dream. There’s certain managers at times, from the outside looking in, you think you want sometimes more flair players in there.

“But he works so hard. His attributes off the ball and his strength and his tackling. He’s willing to work for the team and he gives you so much going forwards as well.

“It was enough for Luis Diaz to be let go. He’s that important to Slot. You can see he trusts him.”