Jurgen Klopp suffers major injury blow with Liverpool star ruled out for title run-in

Conor Bradley is facing a three-week spell on the sidelines following an ankle injury sustained during Liverpool’s loss to Crystal Palace. The young defender, who started as a right-back for the Reds at Anfield on Sunday, was forced off just three minutes into the second half.

Bradley limped off the pitch, making way for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who made his first Premier League appearance since February 10th.

He was in the midst of making a tackle when the injury occurred. Manager Jurgen Klopp expressed his disappointment over Bradley’s injury post-match, adding that Bradley’s time on the sidelines adds to the list of challenges for the German.

“How it is on these days, something like that happens as well. Conor overstretched his foot slightly. The first moment and what Conor felt didn’t look great, [but] now I heard a little bit that it’s settled quite quickly,” he said after the game.

“I don’t know. Is the ligament damaged or not? I don’t know, so we will get this information tomorrow or Tuesday, but it was very painful for him so that’s not cool.”

Following the defeat, Bradley underwent additional assessment by Liverpool’s medical team. The Athletic reported that he is likely to be sidelined for the remainder of April. However, there is optimism within the club that he could recover in time to participate in the final weeks of the season.

It appears highly likely that Bradley will be unavailable for the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta on Thursday, as well as for Liverpool’s upcoming matches against Fulham on Sunday, the Merseyside Derby with Everton next Wednesday, and the clash with West Ham on April 27th.

Liverpool will be eager for the young player to make a comeback for the final three weeks of the season, especially for crucial matches against Spurs, Aston Villa, and Wolves. The defeat to Palace dealt a significant blow to Liverpool’s title aspirations, leaving them trailing leaders Manchester City by two points.

Bradley has become an important figure this season, featuring in 22 matches across all competitions and contributing to Liverpool’s success in winning the Carabao Cup.

Klopp has faced criticisms suggesting his team is running out of energy as they approach the end of the season, with the manager acknowledging this concern.

“I understand as well, I see the same game like you do. I think for the situation Trent is in, that was really good but I don’t think he could now play 120 minutes, let me say it like that. A couple of players had to play a lot and a couple of players always were interrupted,” he said.