Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he is none the wiser about the seriousness of the injury that Conor Bradley suffered in Sunday's Premier League loss to Crystal Palace.
Capitalising on the Reds' worrying wastefulness, Eberechi Eze scored the only goal of the game for the Eagles, whose 1-0 triumph leaves Liverpool two points behind Manchester City in the Premier League table.
Sunday's reverse was a particularly agonising one for young right-back Bradley, who was given the nod on the right-hand side of the backline despite Trent Alexander-Arnold's return to fitness following a knee problem.
However, Bradley's afternoon was cut short just three minutes into the second half, as he came off worse in a clash with Palace goalscorer Eze and had to be helped off the field by Liverpool medics.
The Northern Ireland international trudged down the tunnel to receive treatment as Alexander-Arnold replaced him, the England international returning to action for the first time in just over two months.
Bradley emerges as major doubt for Atalanta BC clash
Klopp was asked for an update on Bradley - who has enjoyed a breakthrough season with one goal and six assists from 22 games - in his post-game press conference, and the German confirmed that the defender had suffered an injury to his foot.
Bradley will undergo further assessment on Monday to determine the extent of the damage, but the 20-year-old is now seemingly a serious doubt for Thursday's Europa League quarter-final second leg with Atalanta BC.
"Conor overstretched his foot slightly," the Liverpool Echo quotes Klopp as saying. "Right now, is the ligament damaged or not? I don't know. We will get that information on Monday or Tuesday. It was very painful for him."
While Bradley's concern may not prove to be a long-term one, the Northern Irishman now forms a quartet of fitness concerns for the Reds ahead of Thursday, a list which also comprises Ben Doak, Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara.
None of the aforementioned three players is likely to return to action before the end of the season, but Klopp still has several options he can call upon to fill in for Bradley during the youngster's layoff.
Who could replace Bradley for Atalanta showdown?
Despite his applaudable exploits throughout the campaign, Bradley was left on the bench throughout last week's first leg with Atalanta, where Alexander-Arnold joined him upon his return from a knee issue.
Joe Gomez was instead given the nod on the right-hand side of defence, but the England international had to shoulder a slice of the blame for Atalanta's second strike in their 3-0 win, which leaves Liverpool on the brink of elimination.
The fit-again Alexander-Arnold could be a straight swap for Bradley on the right-hand side, as was the case on Sunday, although Klopp may also be able to call upon a wildcard option in defence.
After making the bench for the first leg, long-term calf absentee Stefan Bajcetic made his long-awaited playing comeback for the Under-21s on Friday night, coming on as a second-half substitute and even registering an assist in a 3-0 win over Manchester United.
The Spaniard's only two senior appearances this term have come from a right-back position, but it would certainly be a shock to see Klopp throw the 19-year-old back into senior action from the first whistle in Bergamo. body check tags ::
