As much as talent and hard work is important in football, or for any professional athlete in any sport, the ability to stay fit can often be just as key to a long and successful career. And for Liverpool’s Conor Bradley, skill and application has certainly never been a question.
Fitness, though, has been another matter, and hopes that perhaps it was simply a young player growing into his body and that injury issues would fade over the years have become harder and harder to hold on to, and a serious knee injury suffered against Arsenal last week is the latest blow.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that the 22-year-old Northern Ireland international has now successfully undergone surgery on his damaged knee and that there was no tearing to his ACL, which means he at least faces months sidelined rather than the better part of a year.
“A big blow but surgery is done so the comeback starts now,” Bradley announced to the world in an update on his Instagram account. “It won’t be for a little while but I already can’t wait to get back playing for Liverpool FC and Northern Ireland Thanks for all the support.”
The club haven’t hinted at an expected timeline, but it seems highly unlikely Bradley will be involved over the remainder of the 2025-26 season and a return for pre-season in the summer is the likely target. In the meantime, there will likely be opportunities for Calvin Ramsay.
Liverpool’s third-string right back is the same age as Bradley and has also struggled with injuries in his young career but believes he is now fully fit and ready to go, and it’s likely Ramsay will now be second in line to Jeremie Frimpong in the coming weeks and months.
