Conor Bradley in action for Liverpool against Real Madrid (Photo by Justin Setterfield, Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Liverpool’s preparation for last night’s big game against Real Madrid will have been slightly overshadowed by the fact that the Trent Alexander-Arnold contract situation, and his links with the Reds’ Champions League opponents, have been such a distraction.
Alexander-Arnold is, after all, probably the best right-back in the world at the moment, and one of the most high-profile players closing in on becoming a free agent due to being out of contract at Anfield next summer.
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This prompted reports of meetings between Liverpool and Real Madrid (as per Marca) ahead of this big game, but by the end of the 90 minutes, the Kop could be forgiven for forgetting all about their star player as they witnessed the rise of another gem from their academy.
With Alexander-Arnold injured for this game, Conor Bradley started at right-back for Arne Slot’s side, and was superb in keeping Madrid Galactico Kylian Mbappe quiet throughout the game.
The France international was clearly not at his best anyway, missing a golden opportunity from the penalty spot, but Bradley also produced one of the game’s finest moments with a perfectly-timed challenge on the former PSG man when he looked close to breaking through on goal.
Conor Bradley in action for Liverpool
Conor Bradley in action for Liverpool (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Can Conor Bradley replace Trent Alexander-Arnold?
Liverpool are unsurprisingly being linked with big names like Jeremie Frimpong (as per Bild) to replace Alexander-Arnold, but could Bradley also be showing that he’s good enough to step up?
The 21-year-old Northern Ireland international is not quite the same style of player as Trent, but he’s clearly a solid defender, making four successful tackles last night in a game of huge importance against a formidable opponent.
Nothing seems to faze Bradley, and that’s the kind of mentality Slot will want from his players, especially if they’re dealt the blow of losing someone like Alexander-Arnold.
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Real Madrid surely won’t care that Liverpool barely missed Alexander-Arnold in this big game against them last night, as they’ll surely view his signing as too good an opportunity to turn down if he does end up running down his contract.
Still, LFC fans will surely be feeling a bit more relaxed about this situation now – just as Caoimhin Kelleher has stepped up heroically in the absence of Alisson in goal, so too has Bradley shown that the future can be bright without another star name of the team.