Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Conor Bradley won’t feature when the Reds take on Burnley at Anfield on Saturday, February 10. He also claimed that the Northern Ireland international could be back in training next week as he is still with his family following his father’s death.
Bradley lost his father Joe Bradley to a long illness last week and missed the Reds’ trip to Arsenal which resulted in a 3-1 loss for Klopp’s side. He was in scintillating form for Liverpool before the tragic death while deputizing for injured injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Premier League leaders will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they host 19th-placed Burnley at Anfield. However, they will be without the services of Bradley as confirmed by Klopp.
The Liverpool manager also insisted that the youngster needs time to deal with his father’s demise and the club is happy to give him as much time as he needs. Klopp said, as quoted by The Anfield Talk:
“Not available for the weekend. The mental state of a player is not something that we should discuss in public to be honest. The boy gets as long as he needs with his family. I think from next week on he will be back in training. But there’s no rush.”
Bradley took his opportunity with both hands when Alexander-Arnold suffered a hamstring injury during last month’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup. The bombarding right-back has contributed with one goal and five assists in his last six games.
The 20-year-old had the best game of his career as he scored once and produced two assists to help the Reds dismantle Chelsea 4-1 at Anfield. Bradley’s showings in January also saw him earn a nomination for the PFA Player of the Month award alongside teammate Diogo Jota.
Liverpool midfielder takes a dig at Arsenal for copying their celebration
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has slammed Arsenal for copying the Reds’ celebrations following the Gunners’ 3-1 win over the Reds. He also claimed that this shows that the Merseyside giants are heading in the right direction.
The 23-year-old said that Jurgen Klopp started the trend of celebration with fans in the Premier League with his trademark fist-bumps, saying:
“Listen, that’s why I’ve got to shut it all down in a respectful way, I’d say. The celebrations and all, that is all nice but for many years, we’ve always been a team, our fans have spoken about it and the gaffer himself, you know, the way he fist bumps the fans and stuff.
“That’s kind of like our thing. So if they want to be stealing our stuff, then it shows that we’re on the right path and we’ve got these who are copying us.”
Arsenal’s victory over Liverpool has given the title race a whole new dimension. Jurgen Klopp’s side remain top with 51 points with Manchester City and Arsenal both on 49 points although the Cityzens have a game in hand.
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