The emergency at the Reds called the German coach to make choices and he didn’t think twice about launching the 2003 class. In just five games the Northern Irishman repaid him with interest and now he can become a regular starter
For at least three years, Pep Lijnders, Jürgen Klopp’s deputy, had been pressuring the Liverpool manager to trust a young man in whom he had seen something special: Conor Bradley. How special the 20-year-old Northern Irishman could be, not even his biggest admirer could have predicted. Making his first start in the Premier League for Liverpool, Bradley finished with an assist in 82 minutes on the pitch. In his second start, the latest jewel of the Reds’ Academy did even better: goal, two assists and man of the match award in the 4-1 win at Anfield against Chelsea, with the warm Liverpool crowd cheering him on as they do with his heroes. Bradley played so well that some critics have ventured that he should be Liverpool’s starting right-back, not Trent Alexander-Arnold, the same player who, until his injury at the beginning of January, critics wanted to be a regular starter for England at the European Championships . Yes, Bradley’s first impact with the Reds first team was that sensational.