Coach Dino Toppmöller from Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt has dampened expectations of new signing Hugo Ekitike and called for patience with the 21-year-old.
“He’s an investment in the future for us. He won’t take us from one win to the next in the next few weeks, you have to take away hope,” said Toppmöller before the home game against VfL Bochum (Saturday, 3:30 p.m./Sky).
Ekitike, who moved from Paris St. Germain to Frankfurt, made his debut after coming on as a substitute in the game against 1. FC Köln (0-2) last weekend. Toppmöller attested that the attacker was behind in training.
Ekitike did not train with the team in Paris for two months and individually for six weeks. “In order to develop your full potential, you need physical fitness. It’s about finding the right mix. We all have to be patient with him to a certain extent,” said Toppmöller, who promised Ekitike at least a short appearance against Bochum. Attacker Omar Marmoush was guaranteed a starting eleven.
Against Bochum, Eintracht wants to forget the disappointment after the defeat in Cologne. “I expect a good reaction and a bit of compensation for our weak performance in Cologne. We want to show from the start that we want to win the game,” said Toppmöller.