Sami Hyypia has named one Liverpool youngster who he believes has a ‘great chance’ to earn regular game-time in the coming season.
A number of academy players were given a runout by Arne Slot during the 1-0 win over Real Betis on Friday night, with a few standout performances to be witnessed.
Speaking to Matthew Baldwin of DK Pittsburgh Sports, the former Reds captain said that there are ‘many’ young talents at Anfield who could make an impression at first-team level in the next few months.
When prompted to give one name to watch out for in 2024/25, Hyypia replied: “I would say [Conor] Bradley. I would say he did well last season in the games he was there, so I think he has a great chance to be a regular in the team.”
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The injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold at the start of this year gave Bradley his opportunity to enjoy a prolonged run of games in Liverpool’s first team, and it’s one that he seized with both hands, starring in the wins over Chelsea in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup final.
The Northern Ireland international was one of the Reds’ best players in the pre-season win over Betis last night, offering plenty of thrust as he rampaged forward from right-back and coming close to doubling his team’s lead with a clever dink that Adrian gathered.
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The amount of game-time afforded to the 21-year-old could depend on a variety of factors outside his control, such as whether he (and others) can avoid any lengthy injury absences, as well as the formation that Slot might deploy throughout the campaign.
The head coach’s use of Trent could impinge on Bradley’s hopes of starting regularly. If the vice-captain is used at right-back, the Tyrone native may find it difficult to nudge ahead of him. Should the England star be positioned elsewhere, though, our number 84 might be in line to feature prominently.
Having had a substantial taste of first-team action last season, the Northern Ireland youngster will be yearning for more, and performances such as the one he gave in Pittsburgh will boost his chances of having his appetite sated.
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