Liverpool fans have been given some encouraging news as to when Conor Bradley could return to action after a lengthy knee injury.
The right-back has been sidelined for the past five months since going to ground in the final minutes of the 0-0 draw at Arsenal, and there were some projections that he mightn’t play again in this calendar year.
His Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill recently claimed that the 22-year-old is ‘doing well’ and ‘making progress’ in his rehabilitation, albeit stopping short of specifying a projected timeline.
However, in his latest post on Substack, David Lynch has indicated when we might once again see Bradley on the pitch, if all goes to plan.
The Liverpool-focused journalist wrote that the right-back is ‘understood to be targeting a return to training shortly after the new season starts’, which’d appear to hint at a potential matchday comeback sometime in September.
The reporter added the caveat that the Reds’ coaches and medical staff ‘will take a cautious approach’ with the 22-year-old due to the length of time that he’s been absent, intending to ‘ease him back’ in the hope of avoiding any further setbacks.
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Liverpool have two very capable right-backs in Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong, but with both suffering extensive injury problems over the past year, it’s entirely plausible that they could enter the market for a new recruit in that position over the summer (The Athletic).
With the Northern Ireland international hoping to be back in training in the early weeks of next season (which begins on the weekend of 22/23 August), he could potentially return to action the following month, which’d be an enormous boost after some initial projections of a year-long absence.
He’s shown that he’s good enough to hold down a starting berth for the Reds, but unfortunately his fitness record was a concern even before the knee injury in January. Since breaking into the first-team fold at the start of 2024, he’s had eight separate absences amounting to more than 50 games missed.
Liverpool would be wise to proceed cautiously with Bradley considering his past and the seriousness of his injury, especially if Frimpong is fully fit for the start of the season. However, that there’s now a projected return date which is in the foreseeable future is a clear sign that he’s steadily making his way back to fitness.
Fingers crossed that there are no further setbacks and that the 22-year-old will be charging along the right flank at Anfield in the autumn.
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