“He has been battling a serious injury and that’s why he is not playing as well as he should but he’s getting better now” – This is according to Arne Slot as he has revealed that one of Liverpool’s “outstanding” players is currently battling with a serious injury and has been the reason for the drop in performance .

Arne Slot has shared his thoughts on Liverpool defender Conor Bradley’s development ahead of the club’s Champions League encounter with Real Madrid.

The Liverpool manager has urged Bradley to improve his physical resilience if he wants to take the next big step in his career.

The Northern Irish right-back is expected to feature against Real Madrid, continuing his rise since breaking into the senior squad as backup to Trent Alexander-Arnold. However, with Alexander-Arnold’s move to Madrid during the summer, Bradley has been battling to establish himself as Liverpool’s first-choice right-back.

The 22-year-old’s progress has been hampered by injury setbacks, including recurring hamstring problems that also affected him last season — one of which came late in a 2–0 win over Real after a standout performance.

Now, with Jeremie Frimpong sidelined by a similar issue, Bradley has the chance to secure a permanent place on the right side of defence. Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Slot noted that the key for Bradley is to adapt to Liverpool’s demanding match schedule.

Slot’s comments on Bradley’s development
“Staying fit is the main thing for him,” Slot said. “He played really well in that game, but unfortunately only for 80 minutes before going off with a hamstring problem. That’s been his biggest obstacle so far. We just spoke about Florian [Wirtz], and the same applies to Conor — being able to perform every three days at this level without injury. That’s not easy, especially since he missed much of pre-season.

“He’s also been a bit unlucky — a few times when he started, we were trailing and I had to make attacking changes, like bringing on Dominik Szoboszlai at full-back. But when we’ve been ahead, like against Everton and last weekend, he’s managed full games and looked stronger each time.

“He’s improving, gaining match fitness, and showing his potential. The key now is maintaining consistency through the busy schedule, just like Florian and the others. We’ve got incredible young talent here, and with time they’ll all adapt.”

Slot on Bradley’s display against Aston Villa
Bradley impressed in Liverpool’s recent 2–0 win over Aston Villa, drawing praise from his manager.

“The more the players play together, the better they become,” Slot explained. “You can’t really compare Trent and Conor, but Conor had an excellent game — as did many others. It was the collective effort that made the difference. Everyone was fighting hard, throwing themselves in front of shots, sprinting back, and pressing high when needed.

“There were lots of positives, including Conor’s individual performance. His next challenge is getting used to playing full 90-minute matches regularly because he hasn’t had that rhythm yet. After just two days’ rest, another game comes quickly, so we’ll need to manage that. But to answer your question — yes, he played very well today.”