Conor Bradley had the performance of his young career so far as he played a vital role in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Real Madrid last night.
The Reds were dominant in a game that saw Kylian Mbappé have a penalty saved by Caomhin Kelleher, while Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scored at the other end, but it was Bradley's performance that really stood out.
The flying right back clattered Mbappe with an incredible tackle in the first half that was as technically brilliant as it was strong, and the Anfield crowd could not get enough.
With Trent Alexander-Anrold on the bench, still recovering from a hamstring injury, the Tyrone native has slotted in seamlessly, and with contracts still being disputed with the Englishman, Bradley could stake a claim as a long-term replacement.
Speaking on Virgin Media Sport after the game, ex-Republic of Ireland international Richard Dunne believes that not only is the Northern Ireland defender good enough to replace Alexander-Arnold, but actually has skills that he doesn't.
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"Everything you hold against Trent Alexander-Arnold, he has it in spades!"
"I went to watch him train with Northern Ireland a few weeks ago. He's got to ability to do everything."
Richard Dunne on Conor Bradley who was superb against Kylian Mbappé tonight.#LIVRMA #LFC #UCL pic.twitter.com/1w7gCn7WXp
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) November 27, 2024
"He was fantastic, his covering, his positioning, everything that you sort of hold against Trent Alexander-Arnold, he has in spades.
"Trent Alexander-Arnold can't make that tackle, but Conor Bradley just seemed to have an all-round sort of game, I went to watch him training a couple of weeks ago.
"Michael O'Neill with Northern Ireland used him right back, right wing, played in a number 10, played him in midfield, because he just has the ability to do everything.
"He is such an athlete, you can see that he still gets into the box, he nearly scored that header, but gets the assist and there was talk that he may have taken Real Madrid's eye.
"They were after Trent Alexander-Anrold but after that performance, he won't be far off their mind."
Damien Delaney was also on the panel, and was quick to remind everyone that the Liverpudlian isn't exactly a bad player in his own right.
"For every good thing that we saw from Conor Bradley there, Trent's numbers, and assists, are still incredible, so lets not write him off, Trent is still an exceptional player."
Unfortunately Bradley had to come off with what looked like a hamstring injury, leaving him in doubt for Sunday's crucial fixture against Man City.
Trent didn't feature at all from the bench, with Arne Slot preferring to bring on Joe Gomez, but he might be thrust straight into action this weekend, if Bradley hasn't fully recovered from this injury.
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