Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse is backing Hugo Ekitike to return stronger from injury and Bradley Barcola to soon terrorise opposing Premier League defences

Hugo Ekitike has been described as "a complete player" with the Liverpool striker backed to rediscover his level quickly when he returns from long-term injury.

And Reds supporters have been reassured £123million signing Bradley Barcola is "going to hurt teams" once he adapts to life at his new club.

Ekitike hasn't featured since suffering an Achilles injury in the Champions League quarter-final second leg defeat against former club Paris Saint-Germain in April.

While no timescale has been set on the player's return, Etikike has previously declared his desire to back in action before the end of the year with Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola recently revealing the forward is progressing well in his rehabilitation.

And former Reds forward Djibril Cisse, himself no stranger to serious injury having recovered from seven months out with a broken leg to feature in the 2005 Champions League final win over AC Milan, believes Ekitike has been a big miss and will come back stronger than ever.

"Hugo Ekitike was improving enormously since he arrived at Liverpool," said Cisse. "When you lose a player like that, it’s tough. It’s even tough for the players replacing him, because Alexander Isak wasn’t available either.

"Even with the French national team, where we have Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta, people were talking about the gap Hugo had left. That shows how important he is.

"I know these injuries well. You recover well, it’s really mental, but once you’re back, you’re off. Hugo will recover quickly and find his level, because mentally he’s programmed to perform and never gives up.

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"He’s a complete player who is also generous defensively and isn’t afraid to help out, which is essential for strikers in modern football.

"He’s a modern player who brings freshness with his haircuts, his style, his personality. It’s a complete package that people love and, above all, he’s effective. The aesthetics don’t matter. What matters is that he scores goals, and he knows how to do that."

Ekitike was joined this summer at Anfield by fellow France international Barcola, who ended a seven-game wait for his first Liverpool goals with a hat-trick in the Champions League romp at LASK last midweek.

And Cisse, a Liverpool club record signing when arriving from Auxerre in 2004, acknowledges the expectations that come with Barcola's huge price tag.

"We have to go easy on him," he said. "Bradley is young and his rise has been very fast. He’s been through a lot and I think he’s handling it well, considering how much has happened to him in such a short time.

"And again, when you arrive in the Premier League, it takes time. It’s not like France, it’s not the same game, you don’t have the same role. In France he was the darling. Here he arrives with a big price tag, he cost a lot, so there are expectations, and mentally that’s not easy to manage."

Speaking to Mr Gamble, Cisse added: "It’s not the best Barcola I know so far, but I can tell you that when it clicks, it’s going to hurt teams. You don’t score a hat-trick in the Champions League by chance.

"I hope that will launch him and he’ll show the real Bradley Barcola, because I’ve seen the Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and I’m very happy to have him at Liverpool."