Exclusive: Liverpool star might not return until 2027 according to injury expert
Liverpool are facing a serious injury dilemma at the moment, with fans left frustrated by their lack of movement in the January transfer window.
Although a £55m deal was agreed to sign Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet, that deal only becomes valid in the summer.
Therefore, Arne Slot’s defensive options are running incredibly thin. Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni, Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley are all sidelined through injury.
And according to injury expert Ben Dinnery, speaking exclusively to Anfield Index, has provided a fairly damning update on the latter of those names…
Conor Bradley facing huge spell on sidelines
It’s almost one month since Conor Bradley picked up a major knee injury in Liverpool’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal.
Dinnery believes that his season is now over with that injury at the very least and could even be sidelined for the remainder of the calendar year.
“We’re probably looking at something that is going to head into the latter part of the year,” said Dinnery, “If there’s any return in 2026, it would be a massive bonus for Liverpool but it could quite easily stretch into the early part of 2027.”
“You’re always concerned with regards to a non-contact injury, and the tests showed that there was bone damage as well as ligament damage,” continued Dinnery, “The mechanism itself suggested that it was a serious ACL problem.”
Looking ahead
With Bradley and Frimpong both injured, Liverpool had made an attempt to sign Lutsharel Geertruida, currently on loan at Sunderland, from RB Leipzig.
However, the move fell through after the Black Cats couldn’t arrange a suitable replacement.
Therefore, Slot is resigned to using a midfielder like Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones at right-back until his defensive woes ease.
Upon his return from the sidelines, Joe Gomez will be the favourite candidate to play at right-back. However, that is a huge risk to take considering his own injury record.
Until then, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Milos Kerkez and Andy Robertson remain the only injuries available ahead of a run of crucial games against Manchester City and Sunderland.
