Glen Johnson has been singing the praises of one Liverpool youngster who has the makings of a potentially ‘world-class’ player.
The 2023/24 season has been notable for a couple of significant breakthroughs into the first-team squad at Anfield, with Conor Bradley stepping up commendably since being thrust into the line-up in January after Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered a knee injury in January.
Speaking to Squawka, the former Reds right-back voiced his admiration for the current exponent of that position in Jurgen Klopp’s side.
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Johnson gushed: “Conor has been fantastic. He’s been brilliant. Put it this way, if this is his standard and he can maintain this, then he’s going to be world-class.”
While the 39-year-old warned Bradley that the real test of a player will be in their reaction to a major setback, he added of the Northern Ireland youngster: “At the moment, he’s certainly playing fantastic, and like you say, him in the team, I think they do look more balanced. He’s probably a more natural right-back than Trent.
“Obviously Trent’s world class, of course, but with his ability, he can play almost anywhere. With Conor, he looks a more natural right-back. He’s quick, strong, a good defender. Right now you can’t fault him.”
While Bradley’s Liverpool career on the pitch has been a continuous upward curve, he’s already had to overcome a hardship which goes far beyond any injury.
The 20-year-old’s father passed away in early February, but the youngster has slotted back into the team seamlessly since his return from compassionate leave, playing in the Reds’ Carabao Cup final triumph at Wembley.
The Tyrone native combines defensive solidity with a threat going forward – he’s won more tackles per game than anyone else at Anfield this season (3.2) and boasts the joint-fourth highest key passes average in Klopp’s squad with 1.7 per match (WhoScored).
Trent also broke into the Liverpool first team on a regular basis midway through a season (2016/17) and has never looked back, going on to become an elite player. Bradley will hope to follow in his footsteps, and all the signs so far suggest that he’s well capable of doing so.