Following a’superb’ rating for one of Jürgen Klopp’s players, one Manchester United player already understands that Liverpool may soon replicate its Jarell Quansah trick.
Liverpool tried three different players as right-back replacements between Trent Alexander-Arnold’s hamstring injury against Aston Villa at the beginning of September and his return to the Premier League starting lineup against Brighton last time out. Joe Gomez served as the most frequent Plan B, with five appearances thus far, but midfielders Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajeti were also called upon for one game each.
Gomez appeared the best of the three, maybe because he had the most time to get used to the job, but it’s safe to say that none of them have shown completely at ease taking on Alexander-Arnold’s function. And it makes sense because none of the trio would consider themselves right-backs, much less inverted ones, and the vice-captain has a special responsibility.
Conor Bradley, a recent academy graduate who played in the preseason friendlies against Karlsruher and Greuther Fürth, may be argued to be the player who has up to this time most naturally resembled a backup. Yes, those are teams from the German second level, but to be fair to Bradley, an injury has prevented him from pursuing further opportunities.
The good news is that he’s getting closer to making a comeback. Bradley has resumed running at the AXA Training Centre, according to Jürgen Klopp, who stated that he is “on the way back” prior to the team’s trip to Brighton. However, Klopp emphasised that Liverpool would handle Bradley’s reintegration cautiously given his youth and the nature of the issue. In general, that update still appeared to be consistent with the previous prediction of a potential recovery in November.
Therefore, the question is whether Bradley will end up being Alexander-Arnold’s best replacement. The ‘door was open’ to the first team, according to Klopp in the summer (via This is Anfield), but he will be disappointed that he didn’t get any chances to start in the Europa League group stage or early Carabao Cup rounds.
These competitions, together with the FA Cup and serious Premier League activity, could still present one or two opportunities. That might seem a little fast, but take a look at Jarell Quansah, who has performed admirably in every first-team appearance—including his complete Premier League and Europa League debuts—after spending time with League One Bristol Rovers the previous season.
Bradley was one of the standout players during a concurrent loan with Bolton Wanderers in that division. He scored five goals and provided five assists in 41 league games to win the club’s Player of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season, and Young Player of the Season awards with a clean sweep. According to Klopp, it was a spell that increased the visibility of a talent that only “football nerds” had previously recognised (source: The Athletic).
With 13 appearances under his belt, Bradley has proven himself to be a full-fledged international for Northern Ireland. Jonny Evans, a fellow countryman who rejoined Manchester United last summer, praised Bradley’s “superb” performance in a 2-1 victory over Kosovo in 2022 and backed him to “bring the country forward” (via talkSPORT), while Ian Dowie, a Viaplay Sports analyst, referred to him as “quality” following a 2-0 victory over San Marino in March.
Thus, all of this ought to raise anticipation at Anfield for Bradley’s potential return next month. While Cody Gakpo and Thiago, two well-known athletes, will undoubtedly receive much of the attention as they work towards recovery, Bradley also deserves attention.