Arne Slot has said Conor Bradley will train on Friday and could be available for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea.
The defender missed last week’s title-clinching victory over Tottenham Hotspur after sustaining a knock in training. Slot had initially said that he expected Bradley to be back in time for the Chelsea game on Sunday, but concerns were raised when he missed Wednesday’s session at Kirkby.
Bradley’s injury record has been a major talking point in recent weeks, especially given the expectation that Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave this summer.
The Northern Irishman’s absence last week was the fourth of the season, and some concerns have been raised over whether he can be relied upon to be Alexander-Arnold’s permanent replacement in the team.
But he should be back this weekend, Slot confirmed in Friday’s pre-match press conference.
“He will train with us today and that’s the first step. We expect him to be available, I don’t know if that means he is available to start, but if all goes well today and tomorrow, he will probably back in the squad.”
Bradley missed six Premier League matches in December due to a hamstring injury, and then was forced to sit out nearly two months between February and April with a similar issue.
He returned to the team for the 3-2 loss at Fulham on 6 April and then started back-to-back matches against West Ham United and Leicester City before suffering the latest setback.
With Bradley not expected to start, Alexander-Arnold will almost certainly maintain his place in the side. The England international played last week, starting his first game since 11 March due to the ankle injury he sustained against Paris Saint-Germain.
Slot confirmed there is no update on Alexander-Arnold’s future as his contract runs closer to its expiry date, while the Liverpool boss added he will rotate his side in the final weeks of the season now it has been crowned champion.
“My line-ups will be different from the last 10 months. We won’t change everyone but there will be some rotation in the next four games.
“We will mix up but it won’t be four games with the same line-up that we have against Tottenham,” said the former Feyenoord boss.
