'What I expect' - Conor Bradley now has chance to fulfil Arne Slot prediction at Liverpool

When it comes to valuing Liverpool defender Conor Bradley, never let it be said Northern Ireland fans aren't making the 21-year-old aware of his standing. Having scored for his country in the 2-2 draw in Luxembourg on Monday evening that secured promotion in the UEFA Nations League, Bradley returned from the dressing room to greet the visiting support.

It was then he signed a banner which showed his face superimposed on to that of Brazil right-back great Cafu lifting the World Cup, evidence of the impact the youngster has made at national team level since making his debut aged 17 way back in May 2021 - before he'd even played a senior club match.

At Liverpool under new head coach Arne Slot, however, Bradley has largely had to bide his time on the substitutes bench. Of the 334 minutes he has thus far accrued this season, more than half have come from his two starts, both of which have been in the League Cup.

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That, though, is poised to change at the weekend when, with Trent Alexander-Arnold sidelined by the low grade hamstring injury that saw him replaced early on by the Northern Irishman against Aston Villa a fortnight ago, Bradley is poised to step in for his first Premier League start under Slot.

His 65-minute outing against Villa was the defender's longest top-flight exposure since having to depart injured shortly after half-time during his most recent top-flight start in the damaging 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace back in April.

Now, more than seven months on, Bradley is likely to once again be in a Premier League XI when Liverpool visit rock-bottom Southampton on Sunday having gone into the weekend five points clear at the summit.

Not that Slot has any concerns turning to the Northern Irishman. “I think it’s going to be a bright future for him because he’s a very good player and very good players are what we need here at Liverpool," said the Reds boss last month.

“He’s done, last season especially, really well when he had to replace Trent, and now Trent has played a lot.

“But he is a very good player and, although he has big competition from Trent, normally very good players find their way into the team. That’s what I also expect with him in the future at this club.”

Remarkable to think that, at the start of the calendar year, Bradley was still awaiting his Premier League debut. That came when creating a goal in the 4-0 win at Bournemouth in January, after which he demonstrated he was capable of delivering on his long-touted promise as replacement for Alexander-Arnold, who was absent for several months with a knee complaint.

The right-back role, of course, has changed since Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the summer, shifting somewhat away from the inverted position to a more conventional approach.

"It's definitely more controlled now," admitted Bradley, speaking to the ECHO last month. "The new manager doesn't want me running up and down the wing forever.

"He wants me to stay in position and do what he wants, he wants you in a certain position at every stage during the game. It's quite tactical but I'm enjoying it and I've learned a lot in the last few months."

Of course, the ongoing uncertainty over Alexander-Arnold's long-term future - the player is out of contract at the end of the season with no resolution to talks over a new deal and Real Madrid sniffing around - means Bradley's performances over the coming weeks and months will take on even greater significance.

And Alexander-Arnold's fitness worries suggests there's every chance the youngster will continue at right-back for the Champions League visit of the European Super League advocates on Wednesday evening.

Slot greeted Bradley with a cheery exclamation of "Goalscorer!" in recognition of his international exploits when reunited with the player at the AXA Training Centre on Friday. Now opportunity is knocking for the Northern Ireland's answer to Cafu.