Liverpool Echo journalist Theo Squires hailed one inclusion in particular among the Reds’ substitutes for tonight’s Europa League game against LASK.
Jurgen Klopp’s starting line-up shows nine changes from last weekend’s draw at Manchester City, with plenty of recognisable names among the subs including Dominik Szoboszlai, Virgil van Dijk, Darwin Nunez and Alexis Mac Allister.
At the other end of the scale to those regulars getting a breather, Conor Bradley is included in a competitive LFC matchday squad for the first time since the 2021/22 season (Transfermarkt), having recovered from a four-month layoff with a stress fracture in the back.
In the Liverpool Echo‘s live matchday blog (18:54), Squires wrote: “Great to see Conor Bradley back in the matchday squad. He enjoyed an excellent campaign on loan at Bolton Wanderers last season, and started pre-season really well prior to his untimely injury.
“He would have surely featured prominently in the Europa League and League Cup had he been fit. The Northern Ireland international will be looking to make up for lost time.”
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As Squires rightly pointed out, Bradley had looked impressive in Liverpool’s pre-season friendlies against Karlsruhe and Greuther Furth before his injury misfortune struck.
The 20-year-old would surely have seen action in the Europa League group stage already had it not been for that untimely setback, and although he’s unlikely to be called upon tonight given how long he’s been absent, to simply see his name among the substitutes is a fantastic sign.
If the Reds can take care of their own business against LASK, and Toulouse fail to beat Union Saint-Gilloise, we’ll guarantee first place and Klopp will duly have the luxury of the final group match in Belgium in two weeks’ time holding zero jeopardy for his side.
In that case, it’d be the perfect game for Bradley to earn the start that he’d surely have had already were it not for his convalescence, particularly with a crucial Premier League clash against Manchester United less than 72 hours later.
Whenever the Northern Ireland right-back does get on the pitch for Liverpool, it’ll be a most welcome sight not just for him but the team as a whole, given the vast potential he offers and the promising signs he’s shown in his five senior appearances at Anfield thus far (Transfermarkt).
#Ep96 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️