Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley may not potentially return from injury until 2027, according to a shock claim from journalist Ben Dinnery.
The Northern Irishman hasn’t featured for the Reds since suffering a serious knee injury in the 0-0 draw away to Arsenal in the Premier League last month.
Bradley won’t play again this season, in a big setback for Liverpool, who are also having to make do without Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez in defence.
Speaking to Anfield Index, however, Dinnery even claimed that Bradley may not make a return to action until next year, such is the severity of the injury:
“We’re probably looking at something that is going to head into the latter part of the year. If there’s any return in 2026, it would be a massive bonus for Liverpool but it could quite easily stretch into the early part of 2027.”
“You’re always concerned with regards to a non-contact injury, and the tests showed that there was bone damage as well as ligament damage,” continued Dinnery, “The mechanism itself suggested that it was a serious ACL problem.”
A potential cruel blow for a great young player
Bradley is such a talented right-back, so to see him sidelined for such a long period of time is tough to take, preventing him from kicking on in his career.
The 22-year-old has looked a superb long-term replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, and great competition for Frimpong, with Pep Guardiola speaking positively about him earlier this season:
“[Doku] had an outstanding game against one of the best full-backs in the Premier League. [Bradley] is so quick, I saw his game against Vinicius Junior [vs Real Madrid on Tuesday].”
For Bradley, it’s just a case of hoping that this serious issue doesn’t ultimately impact him for the rest of his career, in terms of losing a yard of pace at a young age, and becoming a player who is plagued by injury problems.
Staying fit has already been an issue for the Liverpool defender, finding himself in and out of the team, but this latest setback feels particularly problematic.
But hopefully, Dinnery’s assessment doesn’t prove to be correct, and he manages to return to the fold for the Reds at some point this year.
