Jurgen Klopp sounds seriously excited about Conor Bradley
Jurgen Klopp has raved about Conor Bradley after the right-back's performance for Liverpool against Fulham in the Carabao Cup. He clearly wants to see more.
Replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold is about as difficult a job in football as it gets. Not only is he one of the world's best players but he also plays his position in an increasingly unique way.
Alexander-Arnold is a creative force from right-back - unlike anything we've ever seen - while also shifting into a hybrid midfield role. It's not exactly the kind of thing you ask an inexperienced youngster to perform.
But Liverpool have backed Conor Bradley to do just that. Bradley stepped onto the pitch against Arsenal, allowing Alexander-Arnold to formally move into midfield, and impressed against Gabriel Martinelli. That led to a start at right-back against Fulham as the Scouser was ruled out with an injury.
Bradley delivered, though. He won six tackles against Fulham - the second-most of anyone on the pitch - and completed the fifth-most passes. He was incredibly unfortunate not to grab a couple of assists, too.
All in all, then, the young right-back impressed. Jurgen Klopp was left raving about him after the game in an interview with Sky Sports - the boss sounds seriously excited for the future.
"Exceptional, what a boy, what fantastic character and the potential," he said. "He is in the right team, everyone loves him and respects him and wants him to succeed."
This could end up being a very important spell for Bradley, then. Alexander-Arnold will be out for the next little while, likely ruling him out of the Reds' next three games.
With Bradley impressing, there's every chance that those games are his. Everyone should certainly expect to see a bit more of him as the season goes on and he may just take the role as Alexander-Arnold's primary backup.