'That's me done at Liverpool' – Conor Bradley claim speaks volumes after Pep Guardiola remark

 Conor Bradley has gone from fearing he had no Liverpool future to being pole position to succeed Trent Alexander-Arnold as regular right-back. Despite signing a new four-year contract in May, Bradley’s first-team prospects were thrown into down when Arne Slot signed Jeremie Frimpong.

Then, after neither managed to establish themselves on the right side of defence, Slot opted to deploy Dominic Szoboszlai in the role, potentially relegating Bradley to third choice. It wasn’t the first time Bradley’s Anfield future looked a little bleak. In the summer of 2022, he was farmed out on loan to Bolton Wanderers.

Suspecting his long-term future lay elsewhere, he said last year as he reflected on that time: “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.

“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 had similar feelings in the opening months of this season but the 22-year-old has shown his quality against top-tier opponents Real Madrid and Manchester City, going up against Vinicius Junior and an inspired Jeremy Doku.

He was one of the team’s better performers in the 3-0 defeat at the Etihad, with Pep Guardiola even singling him out for praise, having been reminded of his quality by his assistant, Pep Lijnders, Jurgen Klopp’s former number two at Anfield.

The City boss 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.”

Bradley will be hoping his recent displays have been enough to cement his place in Slot’s team following the international break. For now, he is focused on Northern Ireland’s crucial World Cup qualifiers away to Slovakia on Friday and at home against Luxembourg on Monday.

Wins in both would put Michael O’Neill’s side in a great position to secure a play-off place and possibly more if group leaders Germany slip up.