Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold QUESTION about to get a CLEAR answer

Conor Bradley was at the wheel for Northern Ireland last night as his country were promoted to the UEFA Nations League Group B.

Despite registering a 2-2 draw with Luxembourg, Bradley scored a header to put his side 2-0 up and registered a 8.4 rating on FotMob, the game’s second-highest.

He could have added a third for Northern Ireland too, flicking a cross inches past the far post as he got goalside of Luxembourg’s right-back, Florian Bohnert.

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“If I score the third goal for us it probably kills the game. It is something we can take massive learning from.” Bradley said of his miss to the Belfast Telegraph.

“We should be winning the game and dominated throughout except for those 10 minutes but they scored from a set piece and a wonderful finish so hats off to them.”

And whilst Northern Ireland’s lack of victory wasn’t exactly Bradley’s fault, the willingness of the player who is still just 21 to take responsibility for his miss shows a maturity beyond his years.

The maturity was also demonstrated as he has recently been trusted to take on the captain’s armband for the side, with a level of performance deserving of the accolade. Last night’s performance, in which he registered a team-second six recoveries and didn’t even have to attempt a tackle due to Luxembourg’s unwillingness to attack down his side, shows this.

Can Bradley replace Trent Alexander-Arnold?

That’s why chatter has emerged recently of Bradley’s ability to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold in the Liverpool side should the star choose not to renew his contract (and almost certainly sign for Real Madrid).

Reds wondering if Bradley truly is the man to replace Alexander-Arnold may have their answer sooner rather than later, as the injury sustained by the England international in Liverpool’s last outing against Aston Villa looks set to keep him our for this weekend’s game against Southampton.

And with a high stakes clash against Manchester City the following weekend being preceded by a tie against a floundering Real Madrid in the Champions League, there is a chance that Trent may end up missing one of those games if he is not fully fit by that point.

As a result, Bradley is set for a baptism by fire.

There will be no better indication as to whether Bradley could be the long-term replacement at the position. His 66 minutes against Aston Villa weren’t 100% convincing, with him being dribbled past a game-high three times, but Liverpool’s overall performance didn’t take too much of a hit.

If Liverpool’s level is maintained in the Southampton game then Bradley will have earnt his chance against some of the world’s best players the week after.

Come the start of December, we’ll have a clearer indication of whether he is the man for the job. On current form, you wouldn’t bet against him.

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