Conor Bradley: From Bolton Loanee to Liverpool Prospect
The 19-year-old right-back had a fantastic season on loan at Bolton last year, and has described how the spell in League One ‘toughened him up’. With Calvin Ramsay heading out on loan to Preston North End next season, the door has opened for Bradley to assert himself in Liverpool’s first-team squad.
Successful Spell at Bolton
Despite missing out on promotion with Bolton, losing to Barnsley in the play-offs, it was still a successful season for Bradley. As well as picking up Bolton’s player of the season award, the 19-year-old lifted the EFL Trophy after beating Plymouth 4-0 at Wembley.
Team-Orientated Player
Something Klopp will like is that he is clearly a team-orientated player – he described his individual awards as just “an added bonus.” He is already focused on next season, too. With the Reds in the Europa League, there could be plenty of opportunity for game time next season.
How Would He Fit In?
However, how he would fit in is up for debate. Like most right-backs, he doesn’t quite fit the mould of Trent Alexander-Arnold – Bradley prefers to overlap and stay advanced on the right wing, rather than drift infield. He has put himself in a great position to learn from the best, though.
Advice for Young Players
Bradley offered advice for other youngsters, saying: “It was a really good year and I learned lots from it. I would tell any young player to get out and go on loan to play games.” With Liverpool short of an attacking backup option for Alexander-Arnold, now is the time for Bradley to step up at the top level.
Euro 2024 Qualifiers
First, though, he has important EURO 2024 qualifiers against Denmark and Kazakhstan for Northern Ireland.
Conclusion
Conor Bradley had a fantastic season on loan at Bolton last year and has described how the spell in League One ‘toughened him up’. With fellow young right-back Calvin Ramsay heading out on loan to Preston North End next season, the door has opened for Bradley to assert himself in Liverpool’s first-team squad. He has put himself in a great position to learn from the best, and offered advice for other youngsters to get out and go on loan to play games. With Liverpool short of an attacking backup option for Alexander-Arnold, now is the time for Bradley to step up at the top level.