Conor Bradley return gives Liverpool a timely boost as full-back issues mount

Liverpool have spent much of the past year patching up the right side of defence, and that generally tells you two things. First, the squad has a problem there. Second, the coaching staff do not yet have a long-term answer.

That is why the latest update on Conor Bradley matters. The Northern Ireland international has been out for 11 months after the knee injury he suffered in the 0-0 draw with Arsenal in January 2026. Now, there is finally a suggestion that he is close to returning to training under Andoni Iraola, and Liverpool need that to happen sooner rather than later.

Bradley is one of three players still working back from significant injuries suffered last season. Giovanni Leoni remains sidelined after a setback in his recovery from a knee problem, despite initially being expected back before the November international break. Hugo Ekitike, meanwhile, is targeting a January return after being injured in April.

Conor Bradley update offers Liverpool hope

Bradley’s absence has forced Liverpool into makeshift solutions for months. Jeremie Frimpong has had injury issues of his own, while Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo and Ronald Araujo have all been used at right-back to varying effect.

That list alone tells the story. When midfielders and a centre-back keep ending up in the same position, it is not tactical innovation, it is necessity. Araujo may have done a respectable job and currently looks the most secure option there, but he is still not a natural right-back. In a system that depends on structure, timing and width, that matters.

Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant offered the first meaningful indication that Bradley’s wait could soon be over. Speaking about the defender’s recovery, he said: “He’s training in the international window or just after, he’ll be back in training. He’s been out since January.”

That is a straightforward update, but it carries weight. Liverpool do not need miracles from Bradley immediately. They need availability, rhythm and some sense that the position can stop being an improvisation exercise.

Liverpool full-back options remain under scrutiny

Pennant also made a broader point, and it is difficult to argue with it. “I’d like to see a new right-back and a new left-back, and when I say a new right-back, I mean someone who can probably challenge or is just on the level of Conor Bradley. He can’t stay fit enough,” he said.

It is a harsh assessment, but professional football is full of harsh assessments. Bradley has talent, aggression and the sort of intensity Iraola will value. The problem is availability. If a player cannot be trusted to stay on the pitch, recruitment departments start looking elsewhere.

That is why the wider discussion around Liverpool’s full-back depth is not going away. With Frimpong reportedly carrying an uncertain future and Kostas Tsimikas moving towards the end of his contract, it would be surprising if Liverpool did not revisit both sides of the defence before 2027.

Neco Williams fits an obvious transfer profile

When asked who he would target, Pennant put forward a familiar name. “I don’t know, that’s where you’ve got to get the recruitment and look at who you can get,” he said. “There’s so many players you can go for. Neco Williams at Forest, he looks solid, a player like that.

“On the left hand side, it’s difficult off the top of my head, but there’s players out there that won’t cost you an arm and a leg who fit that mould and to play in the system.”

Neco Williams makes sense on paper. He is proven in the Premier League, comfortable on either side, home-grown and already familiar with Liverpool’s environment from his earlier spell at the club. That does not mean a deal happens, but it is the kind of practical, low-noise option serious clubs examine.

For now, though, Liverpool’s priority is simpler. Get Bradley back. If he can stay fit, the conversation changes. If he cannot, the transfer need becomes obvious.