Wayne Rooney thinks ‘very special’ Liverpool player will be ‘devastated’ after what happened this week

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Wayne Rooney believes that one talented member of the Liverpool squad will be “devastated” by what has happened this week.

It has been a positive seven days for the Reds, having defeated Everton in the first Merseyside derby of the season in the Premier League.

Arne Slot’s men followed it up by progressing in the EFL Cup with a win against Southampton, but one incident from the game has had everyone talking afterward.

Liverpool are without a key player for this weekend’s game against Crystal Palace, and Rooney himself was shocked at what he saw.

Wayne Rooney believes Hugo Ekitike will be “devastated” after his “silly” red card

Hugo Ekitike scored his fifth Liverpool goal during their 2-1 win against Southampton, helping the Reds progress into the fourth round of the competition.

However, that was followed by a moment of madness as he took his shirt off to celebrate, despite already being on a yellow card.

Ekitike went from hero to zero in seconds, and during the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain spoke about how the Liverpool forward would be feeling.

“You have the emotion of football and scoring goals. And sometimes when you score a goal, you do get carried away.

“And he’s probably forgot he was on a yellow card, I’d imagine, but it’s silly if you’re on a yellow card and you take your top off.

“All the players know that you get booked for taking your top off. So, yeah, it’s a silly one, I think. And I’m sure Arne Slot, because is he going to miss the next round?

“He’s doing really well. And, you know, it’s probably a shootout for him and Isak to play in it. And, you know, he’s giving Isak the chance to come in and try and take his place at the minute, because at the minute he’s scoring goals and he’s in a good place.

“So, yeah, I’m sure he’ll be devastated.”

Hugo Ekitike has lived up to his “special” potential

Liverpool spent £69million on Ekitike this past summer, and despite much of the attention on Alexander Isak, he has quickly proven his quality.

Former Reims manager Oscar Garcia had previously teased the footballing world about what Ekitike would go on to provide when they worked together, telling BeINSPORTS about what a talent he was back then.

“There is something very special about him. He’s young, and he has the quality to become a very good player. He’s a young man with a lot of quality but also a lot to improve on, but he works hard in training.”

Ekitike has managed to live up to that hype so far, being a consistent goal threat for Liverpool, showcasing that he will provide great competition to Isak during their time at Anfield.