Hugo Ekitike is a name Newcastle United fans will remember well after the Magpies' drawn out pursuit of the forward back in 2022. Back then, the French striker opted for a move to the country's capital and the chance to play with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain - before failing to impress at the Parc des Princes.

Now, Ekitike is flourishing at German side Eintracht Frankfurt - and is back in the news on Tyneside after watching the Magpies' clash with Manchester City over the weekend. As Newcastle were dismantled by the Premier League champions in a 4-0 defeat, the Bundesliga forward took to X, formerly Twitter, to seemingly take aim at Eddie Howe's side.

"Hahaha," followed by three fire emojis was the simple message posted by Ekitike, as he quoted a Premier League 'tweet' that read: "Omar Marmoush. That's it. That's the tweet."

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Marmoush had just put Newcastle to the sword with a first-half hat-trick spanning just 14 minutes. It was the first, second and third Premier League goal scored by the Egyptian, who joined City in January from Frankfurt.

Ekitike's message may have seemed like a jibe at his former transfer suitors but, in fact, the former Reims forward enjoys a brilliant relationship with Marmoush after the pair struck up a friendship on and off the pitch in Germany.

"The other players trust us and so does the coach. So obviously we want to give something back. And giving back means performing well," Ekitike said earlier this season when both he and Marmoush were impressing for Frankfurt.

"It's great to be able to play with a player like that too. I think that the way we complement each other gives us a lot of attacking options and allows us to offer a very different style of play."

Ekitike's PSG stint may have ended in disappointment but Newcastle's scouting team deserve credit for unearthing a gem who is now proving to be one of the most deadly attackers in Germany's top flight. The 22-year-old has 12 goals in 21 Bundesliga games so far this term.

Newcastle could have used Ekitike over the weekend, with Howe's men failing to register a shot on target until after the hour mark at the Etihad Stadium.