A breakthrough season felt surreal at times for young Northern Irish full back Conor Bradley – but now the Liverpool youngster says it has sunk in and he feels ready to make this year even better.
The 21-year-old spent the 2022-23 season out on loan at League One side Bolton but was promoted to Jurgen Klopp’s first team and, after a back injury ruled him out of the first half of the campaign, he had a glittering few months in the limelight.
Bradley starred in the Carabao Cup triumph and played 28 times in total, scoring his first goal at Anfield and earning rave reviews all around the country. At one point, there were even calls from some fans for him to start ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Mail Sport asked Bradley for his reflections on last year and whether it feels like a dream and he said: ‘It feels real now. In the moment, it did not, a bit surreal. But it feels real now and I just want to keep pushing on from that.
‘It was a good year last year but I want to try and make this year even better. I feel really good, really fit and raring to go for the season now. It's been a good pre-season, we've won basically every game we've played.’
Liverpool star Conor Bradley insists he's ready for another big campaign with the Reds
Asked if he ever feels out of place or a case of imposter syndrome after a fantastic breakthrough, Bradley replied: ‘No, I feel ready. Probably at times last year I felt that – but this year I've come in and I know the boys so well. I'm ready to go and can't wait for the season.’
The young lad from County Tyrone was first spotted by a referee in a kids’ tournament and was guided through the ranks with his mother, Linda, almost acting as an unofficial agent. His father, Joe, who sadly passed away this year, was also influential in his rise to the top.
One of the men who spotted him, Joe McAree, told Mail Sport earlier this year: ‘He’s a talented boy, with a great attitude. From the first day I met him in the cafe, he looked me in the eye and smiled, it just felt different. For an 11-year-old boy it was just different, the focus he had.
‘This boy can get from box to box like a reindeer, tremendous stamina, he can thread passes into places where you wouldn’t know were there. I’m waiting patiently for him to move to midfield and be the next Gerrard. It’s a fairytale. He must think he has died and gone to heaven!’
Bradley was also asked how he competes with Alexander-Arnold and said: ‘I've just got to keep working hard. Obviously, everyone knows how good Trent is and how good of a right back he is but I've just got to keep working on my game and keep trying to improve myself.
‘I'm still young so there's still plenty of improvement to be made, but I'm going to keep working hard and whenever I do get the chance I'm going to try and take it.’ Pushed on what he needs to improve, the full back added: ‘I think a bit of everything, to be honest.
‘I'm not obviously the complete package yet. I'm still a young player so I've still got to improve my output in the final third and my defending in the final third as well so I think everywhere. But I just want to keep working hard and getting better.’