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is sidelined with what was initially anticipated to be a minor setback but is, in fact, a stress fracture in his back that will require time to heal. Liverpool’s young and multi-talented defender showed promise in the opening games of the pre-season, but then did not make the trip to Singapore or return for the remainder of pre-season. His injury was initially described as “minor” but he was then left out of international duty with Northern Ireland, with an update that he suffered a stress fracture in his back that would keep him out for two to three months at minimum. Moreover, Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill there is “extreme doubt” that Bradley will participate during the remainder of the Euro 2024 qualifiers (which end in mid-November).

A stress fracture is weakening in a bone, most commonly due to repetitive stress and load on that area.



In Bradley’s case – a stress fracture in the back – he most likely has a stress fracture to a bone (vertebra) in the lower back.



However, stress fractures actually exist on a continuum of bone stress injuries (BSI), summarised in this graphic: As you can see, a stress fracture is farther down the continuum of bone stress injuries with multiple stages before it.