Liverpool make up their minds about on-loan Conor Bradley replacement

Liverpool are reeling from the loss of Conor Bradley - with the right-back ruled out for the rest of the season following a terrible knee injury.

Bradley, 22, was hurt late in the piece against Arsenal in the Premier League last week and now Arne Slot must seek solutions in a problem position from elsewhere.

The Reds’ Premier League title-winning head coach has got Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez at his disposal as senior options while there remains a glimmer of hope for Calvin Ramsay too.

Frimpong however has been used further forward in recent matches and has his limitations as a defender. Gomez meanwhile hasn’t got the cleanest of injury records himself and it is a risk to rely on him for the rest of the season.

One solution Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes could have looked into is a return for one of the many Liverpool players out on loan.

Luca Stephenson excellent at Dundee United

Luca Stephenson for example has defied expectations since returning from his very successful loan spell at Dundee United last season.

The 22-year-old forced his way into Slot’s plans for the pre-season fixtures - signing a new Liverpool contract before heading back on loan to Tannadice for the 2025/26 campaign.

Stephenson was the Tangerines’ player of the year last term and has maintained that tremendous form in this campaign too.

Naturally a midfielder Stephenson is capable of playing right-back as well as wide of a midfield four.

He would therefore be an ideal candidate to help his parent club out while they have got selection difficulties on the right side of defence.

The former Sunderland youth could also slot into midfield - offering respite for the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones.

Stephenson STAYING at Dundee United

But that possibility seems to be off the table right now with Dundee United’s manager Jim Goodwin remaining confident that he will keep Stephenson - and the club’s other loan players - on board for the rest of the Scottish Premiership season.

“We’re con­fid­ent, yes, that all those guys will be part of Dun­dee United for the rest of the sea­son,” he told the Daily Record. “[Amar] Fatah and Stephen­son have been really import­ant for us.

“We’re pretty safe, well as safe as you can be, in terms of those loans."

Luca Stephenson future to be decided

Liverpool staff have been reportedly in attendance to check on Stephenson’s progress this season and have surely sent glowing reports back to base.

Right now however it looks like his future will be decided at the end of the campaign rather than at the mid-point.

“The dia­logue is there with the par­ent clubs and they’re all very happy with how things are pro­gress­ing with their play­ers at the moment,” Goodwin said.

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