Arne Slot says full-back’s condition “doesn’t look great”, but defends Martinelli for shove
Liverpool are waiting for an update on the condition of Conor Bradley after the right back was stretchered off injured during their game against Arsenal on Thursday.
Bradley attempted to play the ball under pressure but ended up twisting his ankle. He was replaced by Joe Gomez for the remainder of the game, but Liverpool will be sweating as they assess the full-back this weekend, given their already existing injury issues.
The Reds are missing Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. Mohamed Salah is still at the Africa Cup of Nations and Jeremie Frimpong has been playing on the right wing position. Youngster Giovanni Leoni was ruled out of season in September after suffering a cruciate injury.
“I don’t know yet, but it doesn’t look great when you have to go off on a stretcher,” manager Arne Slot said of Bradley’s condition. “I think when we see the video we probably both think the same, but we have to wait on the scans.”
While the Irishman was down on the turf, Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli tried to push him off the pitch, thinking he was trying to down the clock. The Brazilian has received much criticism for his actions since, and has apologised to Bradley both through texts and on social media.
“I don’t know Gabriel Martinelli, but he comes across as a nice guy and I think the problem for him is – and it’s a problem in general in football – is there’s so much time-wasting and players pretending they’re injured during the game, you can sometimes be annoyed if you want to score a goal and you think a player is time-wasting,” Slot said.
“I cannot ask Gabriel Martinelli in the 94th minute, when it’s so emotional, for him to understand he plays Liverpool who are a team that don’t go to the floor.
“I’m 100% sure that if he knew what the injury might be that he would never do that. But it doesn’t look great if [Bradley] has the injury we fear he might have, of course.
“But football, time-wasting, diving has come to the point that in the 94th minute players think that’s probably happening again because I’ve seen it against us so many times this season.”
