The ECHO chats to former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson about Conor Bradley’s season-ending injury and an in-form Jeremie Frimpong
(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The post-surgery message from Conor Bradley, as he broke his silence after suffering a season-ending knee injury, was as front-footed and defiant as his playing style. “The comeback starts now,” said the Liverpool right-back as he addressed his 1.2m Instagram followers on Wednesday morning.
No timescale is being placed internally on when Bradley will be able to make that comeback and while he will no doubt be itching to get back playing for club and country, which was a sentiment he himself aired once the anesthetic had worn off, there will be no pressure on the Northern Ireland international to bounce back quickly.
Anfield insiders have stressed the injury suffered in the goalless draw with Arsenal last week is not anterior cruciate ligament damage but there is no sense that the defender has managed to ‘get lucky’ with the setback that left him crumpled in a heap on the Emirates turf. The worst was feared when he exited the stadium on crutches and that was confirmed after further assessment on Friday.
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It is a long way back to the pitch for Bradley, who, even at the age of 22, has had to deal with his fair share of muscle injuries and painful knocks that come at the sharp end of the English game.
It’s a cruel twist of fate for him to have to come to terms with and with Liverpool set to be without someone whose game is built around aggression, speed and athleticism for the rest of the campaign, Arne Slot conceded it is an “enormous blow” to his plans on the right side of his defence, which has been a problem position all season.
This was supposed to be the year Bradley stepped out from under the Trent Alexander-Arnold shadow following his move to Real Madrid. But just 15 appearances later, the defender is facing up to the long road to recovery and it will be next season now before the Reds are able to call upon the tenacious talents of the Castlederg defender once more.
“There’s never a good time to get a serious injury, but the timing for Conor was really poor, just as he was stamping his authority on the right-back position,” Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson tells the ECHO.
“He’s a young kid, and he’ll have plenty of resilience to get through it. I was lucky in my career never to have a long-term injury like that, but going from the squad environment to working on your own for nine months during rehab is extremely tough.
“Hopefully, his operation and his rehab go well, and he’ll just be out until the end of this season. Knee injuries can recur, but it would be great to have him back for pre-season in the summer, and he is ready to go at the beginning of next season. That’s what Conor will be focusing on.”
The impending absence of Bradley will likely see an in-form Jeremie Frimpong drop back into the full-back position for the foreseeable future.
The Netherlands international has been a real bright spot of recent weeks since his own return from successive hamstring injuries that sidelined him on and off for four months and with the versatile but brittle Joe Gomez and the inexperienced Calvin Ramsay the other options on the right, at a time when centre-half Giovanni Leoni also out for the campaign, Johnson says now is the time to act at Anfield.
“Liverpool must be in the market for a defender in January,” says Johnson, speaking via WDW Bingo. “They have injuries in their backline, and I think top teams must be active in the transfer market. Injuries seem to be piling up across the team, and Liverpool must win games now, so it is important they invest to keep up with their rivals.
“They shouldn’t be necessarily looking for a Conor Bradley replacement, for example, but they need depth if they are going to look to challenge in the league and make deep runs in the Champions League and FA Cup. They need to stay competitive while they have this injury crisis, so I’m sure they’ll consider making moves for suitable players that are available for the right price.”
If the long-term absence of Bradley is a piece of misfortune for Slot, he is at least able to select Frimpong at a time when the diminutive Dutchman has produced a fair few examples of what he is capable of in recent weeks.
His assists for Hugo Ekitike at Spurs, Ryan Gravenberch against Wolves and Cody Gakpo at Fulham was followed up with his first goal for the club on Monday night, which was a rifled effort with his left foot against Barnsley in the FA Cup.
His speed and direct running has provided a side not widely blessed with electric pace with a different dimension in recent weeks and while he might now have to adjust to a more defensive role in the back four, Johnson, himself known as an inventive, attacking full-back during his six years on Merseyside, thinks Frimpong can continue performing for Slot.
He adds: “I think Jeremie Frimpong has been much improved since he returned from injury, and it may just be that he has settled into the club now, and his performances are improving. I’m not sure if he is better used further forward, though. I haven’t seen enough of him beating his defender or creating chances to make me think that if he played at right-back, Liverpool would be wasting his talent.
“I think Frimpong is a good attacker coming from deeper, but he isn’t the best defensive full back I’ve ever seen. I think Liverpool will utilise him in a way that is dependent on their opponent.
“I think he will attack more in some games, and in other games, he will need to be much more defensively disciplined. He is very versatile, which is great for Liverpool. I’m not sure if he will ever be an out-and-out winger for Liverpool, but I have been encouraged by his recent performances.”