Cisse: I was scared Ekitike wouldn't play regularly for Liverpool - I'm happy he's doing so well!

Former Liverpool Djibril Cisse speaks exclusively to Ladbrokes on his surprise at Hugo Ekitike's flying start to life at Anfield - and why he would still put money on Arne Slot's men to win the Premier League ahead of their game against Arsenal.

"As a French guy, and a fellow striker, I'm really excited to see more of Hugo Ekitike this season, and I wish him the best at Liverpool.

"To be honest, I was scared when he first came to the club that he wouldn't get a lot of minutes, so I'm really happy and quite reassured with the amount of playing time he's had already, and the fact he's already scoring goals for the club.

"He’s a good player, so I want him to play as much as possible and to show that he deserves to be here. When you consider this is his first season in England, I think a really good season for him would be scoring anywhere between 10 and 15 goals.

"He's arrived at a big club with big expectations, so if he manages somewhere around that total, that would be a good start in his first year... even though I know he can do more.

"It's too early to be talking about Hugo winning the Golden Boot, mainly because Mo Salah is still very much the king. I hope people don't compare his numbers to Salah's because it's unnecessary pressure which he doesn't need.

"All I can say is that he's doing really, really well for a young guy who has just arrived in the Premier League."

"I think there are four title contenders in the Premier League this season: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.

"To win titles, you need strength in those key positions, and when you look at Liverpool's goalkeeper and main centre-back - Alisson and Virgil van Dijk - we're talking about two of the best, if not the best, players in the world in those positions.

"Then you need someone who will score goals, and there's no one in the world who is more reliable than Mo Salah in that area.

"But alongside all of that, you also need hard-working soldiers around these kinds of players, and Liverpool have got that... so I'll put my money on them winning the league again!"

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