Conor Bradley has gone from fearing he had no Liverpool future to being in pole position to succeed Trent Alexander-Arnold as the club's regular right-back
Conor Bradley
Things are looking up for Conor Bradley(Image: Getty Images)
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Conor Bradley has transformed from doubting his Liverpool prospects to being well placed to succeed Trent Alexander-Arnold as the club's first-choice right-back. Despite penning a fresh four-year deal in May, Bradley's chances of regular football appeared uncertain when Arne Slot brought in Jeremie Frimpong.
With neither player cementing their place, Slot recently turned to Dominik Szoboszlai for the position, potentially pushing Bradley down to third in the pecking order. It wasn't Bradley's first experience of uncertainty at Anfield.
During the summer of 2022, he was sent out on loan to Bolton Wanderers. Reflecting on that period last year, he said: "They told me that they wouldn't forget about me when I was out on loan.
"But at the time, you don't really believe it. You think 'A loan, that's sort of me done here.' But you have to keep working hard. I played around 50 games for Bolton and it was the best thing for me at that time. It turned me into what I am now, it changed me from a boy into a man.
Conor Bradley
Bradly thrived during his year on loan(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
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"I'm so grateful for the opportunity Bolton gave me to go and play so many games there. It got me ready for coming back at Liverpool and giving it my best shot."
Bradley may have experienced comparable doubts during the early stages of this campaign, but the 22-year-old has demonstrated his quality against elite opposition, including Real Madrid and Manchester City, facing the challenges posed by Vinicius Junior and an in-form Jeremy Doku. Despite the 3-0 defeat at the Etihad, he was one of the better performers, even earning praise from Pep Guardiola.
Conor Bradley of Liverpool tussles with Jeremy Doku of Manchester City
Bradley was one of the Liverpool's better players against Manchester City
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The City boss was reminded of Bradley's talent by his assistant, Pep Lijnders, Jurgen Klopp's ex-number two at Anfield. Guardiola said: "Conor, the right-back, I was really, really impressed with. Pep Lijnders said he could do everything.
"I know the game against Madrid how good he was against Vinicius. And Jeremy [Doku] handled it, aggressive with and without the ball. He played an outstanding game."
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on Bradley
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Bradley will be hoping his recent performances have been enough to secure his spot in Slot's team after the international break. His current focus is on Northern Ireland's crucial World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia on Friday and Luxembourg on Monday.
Victories in both matches would put Michael O'Neill's squad in a strong position for a play-off spot, and potentially more if group leaders Germany falter.
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