With all of the furore surrounding this winter’s World Cup, it has been easy to forget that domestic action has still been going on.
Yes, the Premier League may have stopped, but that doesn’t mean that no Liverpool players have been in action. Those currently out on loan below the country’s top division have all carried on with their schedules, unabashed.
With those campaigns now more or less reaching the halfway point, it’s worth taking a look at how Liverpool’s loan performers are getting on.
There have been a couple of very decent showings, that’s for sure. Leighton Clarkson is having a good old time with Aberdeen and Tyler Morton is coming into his own with Blackburn.
But when assessing which of Liverpool’s loan stars has had the best season so far, there’s really no debate. It simply has to be Conor Bradley.
With Bolton sitting in fifth in the League One table, Bradley has been one of their very best players. At the time of writing, the 19-year-old has started 19 League One games, scoring four times and assisting three more. For a full-back, those are excellent numbers.
Bradley shows his potential
Coaches at Liverpool will have been absolutely delighted with what they’ve seen from Bradley this season.
He looked to have the makings of a good player when featuring for the first team in 2021/22. But at times he appeared a little too eager, perhaps a little naïve.
That’s to be expected of course, Bradley is still incredibly young. A loan spell looked like being the answer, though. A chance to play week-in-week-out and refine his game to the workings of senior level football.
It’s worked beautifully. Northern Ireland teammate Jonny Evans labelled Bradley as being ‘superb’ during September’s round of fixtures [Manchester Evening News]. The experience of playing regular men’s football is clearly having the desired impact.
The challenge for Bradley now is whether he can sustain his form over the full season. He has previously spoken of wanting to fight for his place at Liverpool next year and a good full campaign will give him a chance of doing that.
Helping Bolton to promotion would be the perfect sign that the teenager is ready to push on to the next level. Keep up the good work, Conor. You’re our Liverpool loan player of the season so far!
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