Arne Slot revealed he will discuss Conor Bradley’s performance against Arsenal with the Northern Irishman, after he returned to the team on Sunday.
Bradley, fit again to start following a recent knock, came back into the team in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold. In many senses, for the first time in the 21-year-old’s senior career, he can now be considered Liverpool’s first-choice right back – but he put in a mixed display in the 2-2 draw at Anfield.
An impressive first-half performance, containing several forays into the opposition half and some solid defensive work, was undone by several questionable moments after the break.
Bradley allowed Leandro Trossard to slip past him inside the first minute of the second half, before his tentative approach failed to stop the Arsenal winger’s cross soon after, which was duly headed in by the waiting Gabriel Martinelli.
It was an error that didn’t go unnoticed by his boss. “He [Bradley] played great [for] 60 or 70 minutes,” Slot told LFCTV.
“Although he had to block the cross for the 2-1, but I will tell him [that] this week. He played really well and then afterwards.”
That Slot plans to speak to Bradley could be standard practice after a Premier League game, especially for a youngster who is still learning the ropes. But it may also hint at Slot’s commitment to providing the youth-team graduate with feedback, perhaps given the need for him to immediately iron out any mistakes.
Whether Bradley will be the immediate successor to Alexander-Arnold remains perhaps the biggest question mark heading into the summer. It certainly would lessen the need to sign a top-quality right-back in the transfer window.
Slot provided several hints in Friday’s press conference that Bradley will be the long-term replacement for Alexander-Arnold. “The experience I have – and this club as well – is that if a very good player is leaving, the next very good player will step up, and that is probably what is going to happen now,” said Slot.
(Image: Nikki Dyer – LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
He added that Bradley “needs playing time to get some games under his belt and to be better prepared for next season”, while also referencing the importance of the Northern Ireland international remaining fit, and implying he may not need to sign a right-back in the summer.
Bradley’s fitness issues were exposed again on Sunday, with the defender only able to play 67 minutes before he was replaced by the boo-inducing Alexander-Arnold.
It’s likely that Liverpool’s no.66 will remain on the periphery for the remaining two games of the campaign, perhaps providing Bradley with two more opportunities to impress Slot.
