1 week ago
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Conor Bradley has admitted his frustration at the number of yellow cards he has accumulated this season while representing both Liverpool and Northern Ireland.
The 22-year-old has received five bookings across his 10 appearances this campaign for the Reds. Having picked up three cautions in the Premier League, he now sits merely two yellow cards away from serving a one-match suspension.
His next booking in the Champions League would similarly result in a ban. Had the full-back been shown a card during Wednesday's clash against Eintracht Frankfurt - a fixture Liverpool triumphed in 5-1 - he would have been absent for next month's encounter with Real Madrid and Trent Alexander-Arnold's return to Merseyside.
Bradley was also recently ruled out of Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifier against Germany through suspension, having accumulated bookings during the preceding two matches.
The defender has revealed he was keenly conscious of his delicate disciplinary position before facing Frankfurt, following conversations with a member of Arne Slot's coaching staff ahead of kick-off.
"Obviously, I'm not very happy with the yellow cards I'm getting," he said. "It's something I had in the back of my mind. One of the staff told me that one more yellow and I'm suspended. It's not nice to hear.
"It's something in the back of my mind and something I have got to watch out for as well because I've been picking up a few too many recently. Something to keep an eye on, but thankfully I didn't get one tonight."
Bradley may be given a prolonged run in Liverpool's first team after Jeremie Frimpong sustained a hamstring injury during the Frankfurt match, with Arne Slot confirming post-match that he expects the Dutch player to be sidelined for several weeks.
As a result, Bradley's fitness will become increasingly crucial for the Reds in their forthcoming fixtures. Despite the opportunity presented by Frimpong's injury, Bradley remains hopeful that his teammate won't be out of action for too long.
"It's difficult because you're not really ready for it," he shared with LFC TV when asked about his early introduction, having been brought on after just 19 minutes.
"Obviously I was just sitting on the bench, as you do, watching the game.
"The next thing Jeremie goes down and I have to come on. You always have to be prepared for it. Thankfully I was prepared for it.
"Hopefully Jeremie's injury is not too bad and he'll be back soon."
Liverpool is set to face Brentford away on Saturday, with Bradley likely to be included in the Reds' starting lineup in place of the injured Frimpong.
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