An Irish journalist has provided an alarming update on Conor Bradley’s injury recovery following Andoni Iraola’s press conference.
Conor Bradley’s 2025/26 season effectively ended in January when he suffered a serious knee injury during Liverpool’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The Northern Ireland international went down awkwardly in stoppage time while attempting a clearance, and was left needing lengthy treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off.
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The moment escalated when Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, believing Bradley was time-wasting, dropped the ball onto the injured defender and tried to shove him off the pitch.
The incident sparked anger among Liverpool’s players and drew widespread criticism of Martinelli, who later apologised directly to Bradley.
Liverpool confirmed days later that Bradley would need surgery on bone and ligament damage, ruling him out for the remainder of the season. The club gave no firm timeline for his return at the time, saying only that his rehabilitation would begin once the operation was complete.
Bradley has spent the months since working through his recovery, with his path back to full fitness closely watched given his history of injury problems at Anfield.
Here is the latest on how serious the damage turned out to be, and where his recovery currently stands.
Conor Bradley’s knee injury from January’s incident with Martinelli was made significantly worse by the Arsenal forward’s actions on the pitch, according to Irish journalist Chris Williams.
Williams revealed that medical staff at Liverpool believe the manhandling of Bradley caused his patella to fragment, requiring complex reconstructive surgery. He said he held the details back in May after an agreement with the Irish Football Association:
“Further detail I held back on in May (after agreement with the IFA) was their assessment of how the injury was complicated,” Williams wrote on X.
“Medical staff believe that the manhandling of him caused the patella to fragment, requiring complex rebuilding, making the injury much worse.”
Martinelli was booked for his part in the incident but avoided further retrospective punishment. He apologised to Bradley directly and posted a message on Instagram saying he had not realised the defender was seriously hurt at the moment.
Bradley did not play again last season. Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola, speaking during the club’s pre-season tour in Chicago, confirmed that Bradley remains “way off” a return to full fitness.
“I think it is a situation that is tricky, because we trust Conor [Bradley] in the long term,” Iraola said. “We know we want him to be our right-back, but right now he is still a little bit far from returning.”
Iraola added that Liverpool’s defensive depth is stretched as a result, with the club still assessing options at right-back and centre-back ahead of the new campaign.
Further detail I held back on in May (after agreement with the IFA) was their assessment of how the injury was complicated. Medical staff believe that the manhandling of him caused the patella to fragment, requiring complex rebuilding, making the injury much worse.
— Chris Williams (@Chris78Williams) July 21, 2026
Conor Bradley