Report: Liverpool now expect 'fantastic' player to be fit and available again later this month
01/01/2025 09:00 AM
Liverpool are enjoying a well-earned week of rest after ending 2024 at the top of the Premier League table.
After such a hectic period, the Reds had a break of seven days between beating West Ham and facing Manchester United.
The Liverpool training ground will still be a hive of activity, no doubt, with Arne Slot putting his team through their paces ahead of Sunday’s big game.
But the week without a fixture will have at least allowed Liverpool to get some injured players closer to full fitness.
The Liverpool squad is actually in decent shape right now, but Slot still has a trio of injuries in defence.
And after Joe Gomez went down against West Ham, an update has been issued on when Conor Bradley will be back in action.
Conor Bradley expected back in January
As he did during the winter of last season, Bradley stepped in expertly while Trent Alexander-Arnold was injured in November.
Unfortunately, the 21-year-old picked up a problem himself after a terrific showing against Real Madrid in November.
Pundit Frank Leboeuf called Bradley ‘fantastic‘ during his most recent performance and supporters have high hopes for the Northern Irishman.
With Alexander-Arnold looking likely to leave for Madrid in 2025, Bradley’s availability has become even more important.
READ MORE: Liverpool set for showdown talks with Federico Chiesa after agent makes request to management
And according to The Telegraph, the right-back is now ‘on the comeback trail’ after missing more than a month.
It’s claimed that Bradley is expected back fit in January, although no more specific timeframe is given.
What about Ibrahima Konate?
While it is certainly good news that Bradley will be back sooner rather than later, Liverpool supporters will be a touch more concerned about the progress of Ibrahima Konate.
With Gomez now injured as well, Slot is very short on options at centre-back for Sunday’s game.
Unfortunately, Liverpool fans are going to have to wait a little longer to see whether Konate is set to be ready in time.
No updates have been issued for a while on the Frenchman, although it was initially predicted that Konate would be back around New Year.
As a result, it still remains possible that Liverpool’s No.5 could line up at Anfield this weekend. But we’d suggest that Jarell Quansah is likely to get his chance instead, with Konate – and hopefully Bradley – back in time for the mid-week visit to Tottenham.
