Cameroon coach Marc Brys has strongly dismissed the possibility of Hugo Ekitiké playing for the Indomitable Lions, saying the Liverpool striker treated the nation as a fallback option after failing to break into France’s senior team.
The 23-year-old forward, born in Reims to a Cameroonian father and French mother, had been eligible to represent either nation.
However, Brys made it clear he has no intention of pursuing the player.
“I didn’t contact him. He put everything into trying to play with France but didn’t succeed.
“And now we, Cameroon, are the second choice? I don’t need to be a second choice,” Brys told reporters.
“He doesn’t deserve to come here. We have good players who play with their heart. I don’t need a star.”
Meanwhile, Cameroon are preparing for September’s World Cup qualifiers against Eswatini and Cape Verde, but Ekitiké is not in contention.
Recall the striker signed for Liverpool this summer in a deal worth up to €95 million, with a six-year contract.
Despite scoring in each of his first three competitive matches for the club, including two in the Premier League, he was not named in Didier Deschamps’ France squad for their upcoming qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland.
Ekitiké has represented France extensively at youth level, scoring five goals in five matches for the U-21s.