2024 has been a special year for Liverpool’s Conor Bradley and the Northern Ireland star has picked out the moment when he thought his career at the Merseyside club was “done”.
The right-back has been at Anfield since 2019 when he joined Liverpool’s youth academy but had to wait until January 2024 to make his Premier League debut for the first team in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth.
Injury issues for Trent Alexander-Arnold would allow Bradley to make 23 appearances for the Reds throughout the 2023/24 campaign, with Jurgen Klopp having full faith in the 21-year-old. The right-back impressed massively, registering one goal and six assists along the way.
The defender has now become part of Arne Slot’s plans at Liverpool and although the youngster is still a deputy to Alexander-Arnold, the Dutch coach will offer him opportunities.
His performances throughout 2024 resulted in Bradley captaining Northern Ireland for the first time during the most recent international break with the rest of the season having a lot of potential for the full-back.
All this would not have happened if he hadn’t gained valuable experience on loan at Bolton during the 2022/23 season, where Bradley was voted as Bolton Wanderers’ Player of the Year for his performances.
The Liverpool star will now be thankful for his time at the League One club but back then, he thought it was the end of his career at Anfield.
Conor Bradley names the moment he thought his Liverpool career was over
When Bradley was urged to move to Bolton Wanderers on loan at the start of the 2022/23 season, the defender couldn’t help but feel that the Premier League club where giving up on him, especially when Alexander-Arnold was the player in the Northern Irishman’s position.
“They told me that they wouldn’t forget about me when I was out on loan,” the 21-year-old has said via the Liverpool Echo. “But at the time, you don’t really believe it. You think ‘a loan, that’s sort of me done here’. But you have to keep working hard.
“I played around 50 games for Bolton and it was the best thing for me at that time. It turned me into what I am now, it changed me from a boy into a man. I’m so grateful for the opportunity Bolton gave me to go and play so many games there. It got me ready for coming back at Liverpool and giving it my best shot.”
