Trent Alexander-Arnold explains delight at Conor Bradley rise

Trent Alexander-Arnold has expressed his pride and delight at the recent rise to prominence of Conor Bradley and the strength of Liverpool's academy.

After suffering a knee injury at Arsenal in January, Alexander-Arnold's absence gave Bradley the opportunity to stamp his mark on Jurgen Klopp's side - and within a few games, he was already a fan favourite.

The Northern Irishman grabbed the headlines against Chelsea, bagging his first goal as well as two assists as the Reds romped to a 4-1 victory at Anfield.

While now facing competition at right-back that he's arguably never seen throughout his Liverpool career, Alexander-Arnold believes that Bradley's emergence is only indicative of the talent that the club's academy can boast.

Speaking on Bradley, he told the club's official website: "He’s done a credit to himself and all the hard work he has put in.

“I think the way he’s stepped up and performed was incredible. We see it day in and day out in training how good he is and how good the rest of the young lads are.

"It’s a very, very good time for the academy. It’s very good to see.”

Of course, Alexander-Arnold ranks among the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher as one of the best talents to come out of the Liverpool Academy, having made himself a household name since graduating into the first team in 2016.

In some advice to the new crop of up-and-coming youngsters, the Reds vice-captain admits you shouldn't dwell on the competition in your position, instead simply letting your ability speak for itself.

"I think it’s hard to even think and compare yourself because you never know how good you actually are and you kind of just want to keep playing," Alexander-Arnold added.

“I never really thought about it back then. Still now you’re just focused on breaking into the team and performing and being a part of the first team. You’re so focused on that, you don’t have time to think about anything else.

“I’m sure that’s what the young lads are doing right now. They’re just wanting to soak up as much information as possible and be as good as they can in and around the lads.

“It’s a credit to the work that they do at the academy to prepare the lads to come up here and settle in straight away.”