'Didn't look great' - Northern Ireland’s Conor Bradley in Liverpool stretcher exit ahead of World Cup play-off
Northern Ireland’s Conor Bradley left the pitch on a stretcher in the final moments of Thursday’s scoreless Premier League draw between Liverpool and Arsenal – leading to a waiting game for all connected to the international team over the injury issue with a World Cup play-off semi-final against Italy in just 11 weeks.
Bradley was left in clear pain on the ground and required treatment then a stretcher, with the focus now on updates from the Liverpool camp as Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland turn towards the March 26 game away to Italy in pursuit of a first return to the World Cup finals since 1986.
The former Dungannon Swifts full-back sustained the damage as he attempted to clear the ball late on in London.
Bradley hit the bar during the first half of the Emirates meeting and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli courted controversy and angered Liverpool players after he shoved the injured defender off the pitch before the late departure of the 22-year-old on a stretcher.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot offered an update on Bradley’s status in his post-match press conference.
“I don't know yet but it didn't look great if you have to go off on a stretcher,” said Slot, as reported on the official Liverpool club website. “When we see the video, we both think probably the same but we have to wait on the scans if it's that bad.
"Or maybe he can play on Monday - let's hope so.”
Slot then responded to questions over Martinelli’s shove on Bradley.
“I got the same question just a second ago...I don't know Gabriel Martinelli but he comes across as a nice guy,” said Slot. “I think the problem for him is - and that's the problem in general in football - is that there is so much time-wasting and players pretending they are injured in the final parts of the game or during the game that you can then sometimes be annoyed if you want to score a goal that you think that player is time-wasting.
“I cannot ask from Gabriel Martinelli in the 94th minute when it's so emotional for him to understand that he plays Liverpool and that is a team when they are being held, held, held against Leeds United we don't even go to the floor, if we play West Ham United and [Lucas] Paqueta tries everything to get a second yellow card and my players try to drag him out.
"You cannot expect from Martinelli that he thinks so clear in the 94th minute.
"I am 100 per cent sure if he knew what the injury might be that he we would never do that.
“But it doesn't look great if he has the injury which we fear he might have, of course.
"But football, time-wasting, diving has come to the situation that players think in the 94th minute that probably that is happening again.
"Because I have seen it happening against us so many times this season that I can understand that Martinelli might have thought that this was time-wasting as well and he couldn't have thought, 'This is Liverpool, they don't do this.'”