Northern Ireland defender Conor Bradley ruled out for three weeks after Liverpool injury
Conor Bradley was taken off injured in Liverpool's loss to Crystal Palace
Northern Ireland defender Conor Bradley has been ruled out for up to three weeks after sustaining an ankle injury against Crystal Palace for Liverpool on Sunday.
The wing-back was brought off three minutes into the second-half at Anfield during Liverpool’s 1-0 loss, with fears it would be a significant lay-off for the Castlederg man.
However, scans have proven more positive than initially thought, with the Premier League club expecting that Bradley could be back in training as early as the start of next month.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had described the injury as a “very painful” one for Bradley at the time, but fortunately it appears the defender won’t have to miss a significant amount of time on the sidelines.
The 20-year-old has been a revelation for the Reds this season, stepping into the first team in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and thriving, to the extent that he has kept the England international out of the side on multiple occasions despite his return to full fitness.
He has been described by ’Pool legend Gary McAllister as “special”, while Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney hailed Bradley’s display against them earlier in the season as “an absolute joke”, he was that good.
The Co Tyrone hero has been dominating on the stats sheet, too, topping the charts in tackles per game and ranking fifth with three assists this season in what has been a breakthrough year.
Internationally Bradley has also excelled, scoring a stunning goal in a 1-0 friendly win over Scotland last month as he has stepped up into a senior role for Northern Ireland in the absence of the now retired Stuart Dallas.
