Conor Bradley is expected to miss at least the next seven Liverpool games after suffering another injury, with Arne Slot conceding a “miracle” is needed for an earlier return.
For the second time this season, Bradley will miss games due to injury in another untimely blow to Liverpool’s right-back ranks ahead of a run of seven games in 22 days.
He is sidelined with a muscle injury, with Slot telling reporters that he does not expect him “to be part of the upcoming 22 days, maybe at the end, unless a miracle happens, which I don’t expect.”
With Jeremie Frimpong also still sidelined with a hamstring injury, Slot will have to turn to other options at right-back for a busy run of games.
Games Conor Bradley will miss due to injury
There is no guarantee Bradley will return after three weeks, but according to Slot’s timeline he would miss the following matches:
- Forest (H) – PL – Sat, Nov 22
- PSV (H) – CL – Wed, Nov 26
- West Ham (A) – PL – Sun, Nov 30
- Sunderland (H) – PL – Wed, Dec 3
- Leeds (A) – PL – Sat, Dec 6
- Inter (A) – CL – Tues, Dec 9
- Brighton (H) – PL – Sat, Dec 13
If his absence is prolonged, Liverpool will at least benefit from a lighter festive schedule that sees them face Tottenham (Dec 20), Wolves (Dec 27) and Leeds (Jan 1).
For now, he is anticipated to miss the next five league matches and the final two Champions League games of 2025, leaving Slot with a solution to find on the right side of his defence.
Slot made sure to underline that Liverpool “have five defenders available for seven games in 22 days, and I don’t see anyone coming back before that.”
Who can fill in at right-back for Liverpool
With Frimpong also still unavailable for the next couple of weeks, at least, Slot must turn to other options, and he did name-check Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez.
Liverpool’s head coach accepted that players will “have to play in positions they usually don’t” to plug the gaps, which could be a hint that Calvin Ramsay may not have a role to play.
The 22-year-old made his first senior appearance since 2022 in the recent Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace and while not eligible in the Champions League, he is free to play in the Premier League.
He is a recognised right-back, but when Slot identified that he had “five defenders available for seven games,” that did not account for the Scot.
Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Gomez, Andy Robertson, and Milos Kerkez were who he was referring to, which suggests Ramsay is not currently on his radar.
That could yet change, but the likelihood is that Slot first turns to Gomez or one of his midfielders to cover for both Bradley and Frimpong.
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