That’s according to injury expert Ben Dinnery, who claims the Northern Ireland international faces a significantly longer spell on the sidelines, with his return potentially delayed until 2027.
Bradley suffered a serious knee injury during Liverpool’s 0-0 draw against Arsenal in early January.
While the club initially hoped for a return for pre-season training, the latest assessment from the injury expert suggests otherwise.
Conor Bradley’s injury is worse than initially feared
Exclusively spoken against Anfield indexDinnery provided a rather disheartening update on the 22-year-old’s condition.
The injury, which occurred during a high-tension injury incident at the Emirates, includes both significant ligament and bone damage.
Dinnery said:
“We’re probably looking at something that will happen in the second half of the year.
“If a return is possible in 2026 it would be a huge bonus for Liverpool, but it could quite easily take until early 2027.
Dinnery also explained that the non-contact nature of the mechanism of the injury indicates a serious ACL problem.
“You always worry about a non-contact injury, and the tests showed there was both bone damage and ligament damage.
“The mechanism itself suggested it was a serious ACL problem.”
Liverpool’s defensive injury crisis is deepening
Liverpool’s depth at right-back is currently non-existent, with summer signing Jeremy Frimpong also sidelined with a groin injury.
Although Frimpong is expected back in a few weeks, his debut season at Anfield has already been marred by recurring fitness problems.
With Joe Gomez also struggling with a hip problem and the club failing to secure Lutsharel Geertruida on deadline day, the Reds are currently forced to use midfielders like Dominik Szoboszlai out of position.
Although Liverpool recently confirmed the summer signing of Jeremy Jacquet for £60 million, he will remain in France for the rest of the season.
This development could force Liverpool to jump back into the market for another specialist right-back this summer to ensure they are not left stranded during Bradley’s lengthy rehabilitation.
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