A break from the back, a burst of pace, and a perfectly-placed pass. One of the Premier League’s breakout talents has already established himself as a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team plans in double-quick time and, at the , that ever-improving confidence and maturity stood out a mile as played a major role in the goal which gave Northern
Ireland an early lead away at Romania on Friday night. Bradley already has six assists since making his
Liverpool breakthrough at the start of 2024. And while it was technically Southampton’s Shea Charles who set up a debut goal for the late-blooming Jamie Reid in Bucharest, it would not have been possible without a trademark lung-bursting burst from the Liverpool right-back. Liverpool starlet Conor Bradley shines again Bradley has thrived as an orthodox right-back at club-level. As a youthful
Northern Ireland side held their hosts to a draw in the Romania capital, however, the showed that he has the ‘quality’, the ‘athleticism’ and the tactical versatility to shine as a wing-back in a back-five too. “It’s brilliant,” smiles Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill, speaking to . “That right-hand side of the pitch, Trai (Hume), Conor, Shea Charles, … They could have all played for our under-21s last night! “They have real quality, real athleticism. and they showed brilliant temperament. Conor, every time he steps on the pitch, he demonstrates what his potential is as a player. And again he demonstrated that as well (vs Romania).” ‘Standout’ performer in 9/10 display To quote – handing Bradley a 9/10 rating for his efforts – the Liverpool academy graduate was the ‘stand-out’ performer on the Arena Nationala pitch. “His burst of pace lead to Reid’s goal and (he was a) real threat going forward,” adds the . “Magical and mature player with the right attitude and ability.” With Trent Alexander-Arnold transitioning towards a more inverted, central-leaning role over the last 12 months, is there a way in which Klopp – and his eventual Liverpool successor – can get both Bradley and the on the pitch at the very same time? Bradley, showcasing his qualities not only as a right-back but also a rampaging, box-to-box wing-back too, appears to be adding new weapons to his
Arsenal every time he steps foot on the turf these days.