Liverpool's first team squad is looking rather threadbare at the moment, partially due to departures, but also as a result of three long-term injuries. Giovanni Leoni is expected to be back soon, after rupturing his ACL on debut in the EFL Cup last September, while Hugo Ekitiké's return is substantially further away, after suffering a similar gruesome injury in April against Paris Saint-Germain.
The third member of this unfortunate trio is Conor Bradley, whose season was cruelly derailed by a truly devastating fitness setback.
The Northern Irish international was forced to undergo major surgery in January to repair severe bone and ligament damage in his knee an injury that sounds every bit as horrific as the medical diagnosis suggests.
The structural damage occurred during a fiercely contested encounter against Arsenal, a match that ended in a frustrating 3-1 defeat for the Reds at the Emirates Stadium.
The moment itself was incredibly chaotic: Gabriel Martinelli lunged in with a heavy challenge, and as Bradley went down, the ball struck him, compounding the impact. Bradley was left in immense pain on the turf, and the immediate, frantic reaction from the medical staff signaled that this was a season ending injury blow.
However, could the Northern Irishman be back sooner than fans might think, following a positive injury update?
Conor Bradley could be back soon
Speaking in a YouTube video last week, Liverpool-based journalist David Lynch had this to say about Bradley:
"Conor Bradley, as I’m told, is targeting a return shortly after the start of the season, so he’s not a million miles away, which might be a nice surprise... they’re not relying on him. They know they’ve got to take it slow. They’ve got to be very, very careful with him."
This is obviously positive news for a young player who has spent almost 200 days on the sidelines. As Lynch states, the 23 year old is not expected to be back in time to feature during the Reds' pre-season fixtures, either in America or at Anfield, but is back in training, which is certainly a start.
During his spell on the sidelines, Bradley missed Northern Ireland's World Cup play-off, beaten 2-0 by Italy in Bergamo in March.
Well, Northern Ireland supporters and Michael O'Neill will hope he is back in time for their quartet of Nations League fixtures during the elongated international break of late-September and early-October, facing Georgia twice, Ukraine and Hungary. Miloš Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai will be among the travelling contingent in Belfast on 28 September.
Of course, from Liverpool's point of view, international football is not their priority. Nevertheless, if Bradley is fully fit by then, those matches could be a great chance for him to regain match sharpness away from the spotlight of Anfield.
Conor Bradley's return would be a major boost for Andoni Iraola
In all its glory: THAT Conor Bradley tackle 😮💨#UCL pic.twitter.com/XmYSYZ9nhA
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 29, 2024
In a campaign of numerous crises, right-back was certainly one that Arne Slot never solved. Following Trent Alexander-Arnold's departure, replacement Jeremie Frimpong was quickly not trusted in that position, with Bradley thereby viewed as the heir to his throne.
Well, after his injury, even before then to be honest, Curtis Jones, Szoboszlai and others were asked to fill in at right-back, which is far from ideal, especially in Szoboszlai's case, with the club's best midfielder having to be sacrificed.
If Bradley is able to return, and rediscover his best level, that would help solve the right-back conundrum for new head coach Andoni Iraola, even if a new recruit is probably still required. Bradley's banner performances in a red shirt have, coincidentally, both come against Real Madrid at Anfield.
Both times, he has helped the Reds earn Champions League victories thanks to clean sheets, pocketing Kylian Mbappé both times. Across the two, he racked up 11 defensive contributions and five tackles, some of which were memorable, and won 14 of the 23 ground duels he contested.
The latter was particularly symbolic, given that Alexander-Arnold came off the bench for the visitors, which felt like a passing of the torch moment. Thus, Reds everywhere cannot wait to have Bradley back.
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