According to the Liverpool Echo, Conor Bradley will be out for a few weeks to recover from an ankle injury sustained against Crystal Palace last weekend.
Liverpool suffered an unexpected defeat at the weekend when Crystal Palace comfortably took all three points from their Premier League clash at Anfield, leading to the side’s second consecutive defeat on home turf.
The Reds failed to dominate in their home leg of the Europa League quarter-finals too with Atalanta earning themselves a clean sheet and a three-goal lead over their opponents ahead of welcoming the six-time Champions of Europe to the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on Thursday night.
Unfortunately, points dropped in the Premier League title race were not only a huge concern on Sunday afternoon, as young right-back Conor Bradley got into a tangle with Eberechi Eze and came off worse meaning that he had to leave the pitch prematurely.
Following the disappointing performance, Jurgen Klopp gave an initial insight into Bradley’s injury worry:
“I don’t know. Is the ligament damaged or not? I don’t know, so we will get this information tomorrow or Tuesday, but it was very painful for him so that’s not cool.”
The Liverpool Echo are now reporting that the Northern Irish starlet will be sidelined for the rest of April after undergoing a scan on his ankle on Monday.
The publication claims that whilst the injury is not as severe as once thought, Bradley will not be available for Liverpool’s clash with Atalanta later this week and will sit out for the next three weeks, only potentially returning in the final few fixtures.
What next for Liverpool?
There is no doubt that Bradley has unexpectedly become one of Liverpool’s most efficient and effective players since debuting in the senior squad this season and has worked incredibly hard to make sure the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold hasn’t been massively felt.
Luckily, Alexander-Arnold recently returned to full team training and was fit enough to replace the youngster following his second-half exit from the pitch and Klopp will be confident that the England international can comfortably return his role to give Liverpool the much-needed boost over the coming fixtures.
Nothing short of miracles will be needed to overcome the tricky trip to Italy this week, as a 4-0 victory will be the least of the requirements to progress in the Europa League on Thursday night, but a comeback in European competition is something that isn’t unfamiliar for Liverpool fans.
Not only that, the Reds have fallen behind and had the opportunity taken out of their hands to win the Premier League title for the second time during Klopp’s tenure.
Three points dropped on Sunday meant that Manchester City remain at the top of the table and two points clear of the Merseyside giants, however, an identical fate for Arsenal in their meeting with Aston Villa has softened the blow slightly, but will require Pep Guardiola’s side at some point over the remaining league fixtures.
With that being said, when it comes to Liverpool, it is never over until it’s over, and it would be extremely naïve to assume that the twists and turns in both the league and Europe won’t present themselves over this final month of club football.
