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defender Connor Bradley He will undergo surgery due to a serious knee injury that will rule him out for the rest of Liverpool’s season.
Although Northern Ireland The international did not suffer an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but he suffered damage to the bones and ligaments in his left knee, press association Understood.
The right-back, who was carried off during Thursday’s goalless draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal, will undergo surgery in the coming days that will rule him out of the remainder of the domestic fixtures.
He will also face a game to recover in time for this summer’s World Cup if Northern Ireland advance through the play-offs.
liverpool said Bradley suffered a “serious knee injury”, adding in a statement: “At this stage no timetable has been set for his return to play.”
Bradley has made 21 appearances this season, missing several games with a hamstring problem.
Frustration leaves head coach Arne Slaughter Jeremie Frimpong has been plagued by injuries since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, while Joe Gomez has just returned from a hamstring problem, but neither can be considered a true right-back.
This season, Slaughter has had to use midfielders Dominic Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones in that position.
The first game Bradley will miss will be Monday’s FA Cup third round home game against Barnsley in League One, with Slott saying he will not repeat the selection mistakes he experienced in the game last season.
Following his side’s impressive performances in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup final, the Dutchman named a second-tier side for their fourth-round tie against Championship side Plymouth, which they lost 1-0.
However, there will be no changes at Anfield with a number of players unavailable for the Barnsley game.
“Last season I decided some players needed to be rested in the FA Cup because you can’t play every player every time, but obviously we’re not in the League Cup anymore,” Slott said.
“The FA Cup has always been very important to us but sometimes in a season when you’re still competing for the Carabao Cup, Champions League and League One – given the number of players we had last season and this season – you have to make a choice.
“But I can guarantee you that on Monday you will see all the players you saw at Arsenal and maybe there will be some changes but they will be on the bench so it will not be the same as last season.”
If last season wasn’t enough of an eye-opener for Slott in his first season in English football, Monday’s opponents have history.
In 2008, on their last visit as a Championship team, Brian Howard scored in the 90th minute to give Liverpool a 2-1 victory.
Barnsley are currently 17th in the league, but Slott won’t underestimate them.
“We all know that in the FA Cup or cup games things can happen and you can’t compare the players away at Plymouth to the players who were at home against Barnsley at that time,” he added.
“The last time Barnsley played us they beat us but that was at our stadium in 2008 so we treat them like we treat Plymouth – very seriously.”