Arne Slot fears that Conor Bradley faces an extended spell out but he refused to condemn Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli
Conor Bradley suffered what looks to be a serious injury
Conor Bradley suffered what looks to be a serious injury(Image: AP)
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Arne Slot fears a serious injury for Conor Bradley but refused to join the growing criticism of Gabriel Martinelli after the Arsenal substitute’s controversial altercation with the stricken Liverpool defender. Bradley went to ground in the fourth minute of injury time of the goalless Premier League draw at the Emirates on Thursday evening with what appeared a knee injury when challenging for possession with Martinelli.
With the Liverpool man prone on the turf near the touchline, Martinelli then kicked the ball against him before attempting to push the Northern Ireland international off the pitch.
It prompted a furious response from the Reds players, with Ibrahima Konate booked and Martinelli escaping with just a yellow card from referee Anthony Taylor.
Bradley will now undergo scans to ascertain the extent of the damage with Liverpool concerned the right-back – who came closest to scoring when hitting the bar in the first half – faces another extended spell on the sidelines after he left the Emirates Stadium on crutches.
And while anticipating a gloomy diagnosis, Slot believes Martinelli's reaction was borne from a problem with which Liverpool have had to contend this season.
“I don’t know the injury yet but it didn’t look great if you have to come off on a stretcher,” said the Reds boss.
“When we see the video we think the same, we have to wait on the scans if it’s that bad. Or maybe he can play on Monday, let’s hope so.
“I don’t know Gabriel Martinelli but he comes across as a nice guy. I think the problem for him is, and it’s a problem in general in football, that there is so much time-wasting and players pretending they are injured in the final parts of the game, that you can then sometimes be annoyed if you want to score a goal that you think the player is time-wasting.
“I cannot ask of Gabriel Martinelli in the 94th minute when it’s so emotional for him to understand he is playing Liverpool – a team when we played Leeds and a player was held but didn’t go to the floor, or played West Ham United and my players try to drag Paqueta out of a situation where he was getting a second yellow card.
“I’m 100% sure that if he knew what the injury might be that he would never do (what he did). But it doesn’t look great if he (Bradley) has the injury which we fear he might have.
“But time-wasting and diving in football has come to the situation where players think in the 94th minute that it’s happening again, because I’ve seen it happen against us so many times this season.
“I can understand Martinelli might have thought this was time-wasting and didn’t think this was Liverpool.”