Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley has been ruled out for the rest of the season after club confirms ‘significant’ injury

Bradley left the Emirates Stadium on crutches after being stretchered off in stoppage time.

Northern Ireland international Martinelli was at the center of unpleasant scenes in the final stages of the goalless draw with Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing Gunners, with Martinelli later apologizing to Bradley for not recognizing the severity of his injury.

Liverpool have now released a statement detailing that the 22-year-old will need to undergo surgery, which will rule him out for the remainder of the season, including Northern Ireland’s crucial World Cup play-off match against Italy in March.

A statement said: “Liverpool FC can confirm that Conor Bradley has sustained a serious knee injury. The right-back sustained the injury in the closing stages of the Premier League game away to Arsenal on Thursday night.”

“Bradley will undergo surgery in the next few days, after which he will begin a rehabilitation period at the AXA Training Center. There is no deadline for return to play at this stage of the process.”

This season, Slott has occasionally been forced to play alongside midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, with Bradley and Jeremy Frimpong out with injuries.

Frimpong has returned from a hamstring injury to take on a more advanced role in the absence of Mohamed Salah, who is still absent on African Cup of Nations duties.

Salah progressed to the AFCON semi-final against Egypt, meaning Slott will have to come up with a new solution again for the foreseeable future as Liverpool begin their bid to win the FA Cup again.

Should Northern Ireland qualify, Bradley is now a serious doubt for next summer’s World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Gabriel Martinelli pushes Conor Bradley away causing uproar

Image credit: Getty Images

Martinelli’s actions after Bradley’s disastrous loss have drawn widespread criticism, and his extended absence has put him under increased scrutiny.

The Brazilian forward was seen dropping the ball on top of his fallen opponent and then pushing him from behind in an attempt to clear the pitch and restart play.

The incident sparked a standoff between the two teams, with both Martinelli and Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate receiving yellow cards for their roles in the ensuing brawl.

The Arsenal forward wanted to clarify on social media that he had no intention of aggravating Bradley’s injury, while Arteta defended his player and claimed the winger was unaware of the severity of the injury at the time.

“Connor and I have been texting and have already apologized to him,” Martinelli announced on his Instagram Story. “I really couldn’t understand how the heat at that time could have seriously injured him.

“We deeply apologize for the way we reacted. We will once again do everything in our power to help Connor recover quickly.”

Bradley has established himself as Liverpool’s first-choice right-back, starting 12 Premier League games this season.

After the game, Slott told Sky Sports: “I fear the worst for Conor Bradley. I think if our player was on the floor, people might already know 100 times out of 100 that something is wrong with that player.”

“I don’t like to see players moving who might be injured.”