Arne Slot reflects on Conor Bradley’s season-ending knee injury after Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Barnsley in the FA Cup
Arne Slot has lamented the loss of Conor Bradley to injury(Image: PA)
Arne Slot admits Conor Bradley’s season-ending injury is an “enormous blow” for Liverpool and says Jeremie Frimpong’s minutes will now be managed more carefully. Bradley pulled up in the closing stages of last week’s goalless draw at Arsenal and was later confirmed to have suffered a serious knee problem that has curtailed his campaign early.
The Northern Ireland international is set for surgery in the coming days and won’t play against for Slot’s Reds this term.
And speaking after the 4-1 FA Cup win over Barnsley on Monday night at Anfield, Slot detailed how Frimpong – who himself has suffered successive hamstring injuries in August and October – will be looked after in an effort to avoid playing midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai out of position on a regular basis.
“First of all, let’s talk about him because Trent Alexander-Arnold is leaving and Conor Bradley already replaced him a few times last season really well, and the year before I came he also had a good spell,” Slot said.
“He felt and I felt the same, this is going to be your time and he missed so many games already because of mainly hamstring issues and coming back from that and being in a team, progressing, getting better and better, staying fit and then something like this happens.
“In a season before it started where he thought: ‘This has to be my season’ – and I thought the same – to maybe play six, seven or eight games is a big blow for him and I also think about Northern Ireland trying to reach the World Cup.
“So it is an enormous blow for him but as a result of that it is a big blow for us as well, because I hope you don’t think I would like to play Dominik Szoboszlai as a right full-back.”
Slot added: “Jeremie Frimpong, he has to play a lot of minutes and has just come back from injury having missed three or four months and not a lot of playing time. I liked him as well today by the way.
“But I have to make sure he can play at the weekend and then we go to Marseille and then we go to Bournemouth. It is nine games in January with six defenders available, so I have to manage him the right way and I have to give enormous compliments to the players that are fit that we are 11 games unbeaten.”
Liverpool, who will now meet Brighton in the fourth round, return to Premier League duty when they entertain Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
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