Players react to Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli (right) after he moved Liverpool's Northern Ireland international Conor Bradley (not pictured) off the pitch during the Premier League match at Emirates Stadium. (Photo by John Walton/PA Wire)placeholder image
Players react to Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli (right) after he moved Liverpool's Northern Ireland international Conor Bradley (not pictured) off the pitch during the Premier League match at Emirates Stadium. (Photo by John Walton/PA Wire)
Liverpool now have two players who will not play again this season after Conor Bradley was ruled out for the season
Liverpool have confirmed that Conor Bradley will undergo surgery on a ‘significant knee injury’ after he sustained the blow in the late stages of Thursday’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
The Northern Ireland international landed awkwardly on his knee and went straight to the ground as he required treatment. He was stretchered off and the club have now confirmed he will need an operation.
A timeframe has not been placed on his return but it is understood he will not play again this season in a blow to Liverpool, as well as Northern Ireland who will take on Italy in a World Cup play-off in March.
A club statement read: “Liverpool FC can confirm Conor Bradley has sustained a significant knee injury.
“The right-back suffered the issue in the latter stages of Thursday night's Premier League fixture away at Arsenal.
“Bradley will undergo surgery in the coming days and then begin a period of rehabilitation at the AXA Training Centre.
“No timeframe is being placed on his return to playing at this stage of the process.”
Bradley is the second Liverpool star who is out for the season as fellow defender Giovanni Leoni is also not expected to play until around August or September after suffering an ACL injury on his debut against Southampton back in September.
The Italian had produced an impressive and composed performance in the Carabao Cup clash but sustained the injury late in the game.
Slot in late September: "He is not in a good place, of course, because he tore his ACL and it means he will be out for a year. Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game... it's very hard to take the positive side.
"There's never a positive side – but you always try to look at a positive side and that is that he is still so young, so he has so many years still to go after he recovers from a terrible injury like that."
The injury has left Slot limited with his choices for centre-back and now Bradley’s injury will mean the same for the right-back position. The only natural fit is Jeremie Frimpong but he has been used on the right-wing recently.
Joe Gomez and Dominik Szoboszlai have also played right-back under Slot this season. Szoboszlai has impressed when playing the position but admitted back in November that his preferred position is midfield.
He said a couple of months ago: “My favourite position is actually a little bit deeper [in midfield]. I just want to be on the pitch, though. As you mentioned, a couple of times I've played right-back - but as you know, that's not my position for the future. I think the gaffer knows that but I'm in the team wherever he needs me."
Slot has also been reluctant to use Gomez frequently because of the defender’s injury record.
Continue Reading