Image Credits: Imago Images
Conor Bradley’s season-ending knee injury in January was a big blow for both Liverpool and Northern Ireland, and the wait for meaningful good news has been a long one.
The right-back was stretchered off in the closing stages of the 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates, with subsequent scans confirming significant bone and ligament damage that required surgery and ruled him out for the rest of the 2025/26 campaign.
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Liverpool placed no official timeframe on his return, but the expectation has been that any comeback will only realistically happen around the start of the 2026/27 season after a lengthy rehabilitation at the AXA Training Centre.
In Bradley’s absence, Arne Slot has been forced into a season-long juggling act on the right side of his defence.
With Jeremie Frimpong also battling his own fitness problems, the Liverpool boss has at times turned to midfielders like Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones to plug the gap at right-back
However, there is now at least some encouragement on the horizon. Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has confirmed that Bradley is “making progress” in his recovery:
“Obviously, we have interaction with Conor quite regularly,” said O’Neill as quoted by the BBC.
“He sent me a text on my new contract, congratulating me. I spoke to him last week.”
“He’s doing well, you know, he’s making progress, but like it’s not for me to put any type of timeline on that progress at this minute in time.”
“We just want him back, fit and healthy, of course we do, as do Liverpool, but it’s important that how that injury is handled.”
For Liverpool fans, it’s not the big “he’s back” headline fans are desperate to see, but the news that Bradley is moving in the right direction – and that club and country are fully aligned on his pathway – will be viewed as a welcome boost heading into the off-season.