Conor Bradley had to wait more than five months to return to competitive action after a stint on the sidelines with a stress fracture, and now he “wants to help as much [he] can.”
The Northern Ireland international started pre-season brightly for the Reds, but a stress fracture in his back led to time in the treatment room and four months on the sidelines.
Against LASK, the 20-year-old came off the bench for an eight-minute cameo, his first taste of competitive action since representing his country in mid-June.
Jurgen Klopp praised Bradley as a “real prospect” and someone the Reds can “count on,” and, as one would expect, the young full-back was “buzzing to be back” after a frustrating injury.
“I was hoping we would score more so I could get on the pitch but, yeah, buzzing to be back,” Bradley told LFCTV. “It’s been a frustratingly long couple of months out injured so buzzing to be back.”
Explaining how his injury came to be, he said: “I just had a sore back, I’d done a running session in the morning, came in, sore back and had a scan and then [it showed] I had a stress fracture in my back.
“I knew then it would be 12 weeks or so injured, it was a hard one to take, but, thankfully, I’m back now and [I’m] happy.
“I was really enjoying pre-season, I thought I was doing quite well so it was a difficult time but I’ve worked hard and got myself back. I’m buzzing to be back.”
Bradley played two friendlies in pre-season totalling just 90 minutes, and so he will need time to adjust to the intensity of it all again, but he’s ready to fight for minutes.
On the advantages of the Europa League and the upcoming schedule, Bradley said: “It gives us younger [players] more games to play, and we’re always fighting to get our spot in the team. It’s really good competition for the squad.
“I just want to help the team as much as I can and I just need to try and stay available as much as I can, there’s loads of games coming up so, hopefully, there will be plenty of chances.”
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