‘I got myself here’: Liverpool star reveals ‘best thing’ for his career

Conor Bradley says he thought he was “finished” at Liverpool when the club told him to join Bolton Wanderers on loan in 2022.

The 21-year-old spent the 2022/23 season on loan in League One, making 53 appearances in all competitions.

The year away from Liverpool it benefited Bradley hugely, who has seven assists and a goal in 38 appearances for the Premier League giants.

New boss Arne Slot has brought him off the bench in four of his side’s seven Premier League games this season, but Bradley said he feared for his future at Liverpool when he was urged to leave at Bolton.

“They told me they wouldn’t forget about me when I was on loan,” he said. “But at the time, you don’t really believe it. You think ‘a loan, this is kind of a given here.'” But you have to keep working hard.

“I played about 50 games for Bolton and it was the best thing for me at the time. It made me who I am now, it changed me from a boy to a man.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity Bolton gave me to go and play so many games there. It prepared me to go back to Liverpool and give me the best chance.”

First-choice right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold will be difficult to usurp, however has been linked with a move to Real Madridwhich would likely see Bradley become a regular starter at Anfield.

“Everybody knows how good Trent is,” Bradley said. “He is unique as a footballer. But my aim is the same as last season: whenever I have the opportunity to be on the pitch I will do my best to help the team. It’s about winning the games and giving everything.

“I know I have some decent competition. If I’m training well, hopefully I can push Trent and that can only be good for the team.”

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After captaining Northern Ireland in Tuesday’s 5-0 defeat of Bulgaria in Belfast, Bradley has returned to the Kirkby club’s training ground with a spring in his step ahead of the Reds’ next Premier League game.

Winning the armband for his country was just the latest step in Bradley’s excellent 2024, and two meetings with Chelsea figure prominently in that story.

The first came on 31 January in a 4-1 win over the Londoners at Anfield, as Bradley grabbed his first Liverpool goal and added two assists in a man-of-the-match display.

“It was a mental night,” Bradley recalled.

“I didn’t really expect to start because Trent (Alexander-Arnold) was back, but the gaffer trusted me to play. I used this in the game and went into it full of confidence.

“It was a surreal night to score my first goal. I remember making a tackle and winning a free kick and then the Kop chanting my name, I can’t put into words how it felt, it’s mental.

“It’s definitely one of the most special nights, my mates were all over it and I remember coming home after that and thinking ‘what just happened?'”

A month later, Bradley got the nod to start in the Carabao Cup final against Chelseaplaying just over 70 minutes of a game, Liverpool won 1-0 after extra time, their last trophy of Jurgen Klopp’s reign.

“That was strange as we were very light on numbers, we didn’t have many players left,” Bradley said.

“Ryan (Gravenberch) had to go out and Joe (Gomez) came in, so I had to go to right wing.

“I had never played there before in my professional career. It was crazy, that’s where Mo Salah normally plays and now a youngster from Castlederg was playing there.

“I really enjoyed the experience. To lift a trophy with the club of my dreams, who I have supported all my life, was surreal and another very special night for me.”

Playing in the same position as Alexander-Arnold means Bradley still faces a fight to break into Liverpool. He has played six games so far this season, although the only start was in the 5-1 Carabao Cup win against West Ham.

Liverpool head into the Premier League weekend after a strong start for new manager Arne Slot, but this is the first of a tough run of games, with a trip to Arsenal next weekend following of traveling to RB Leipzig in the Champions League. .

“It’s always going to be a special game for me when we play (Chelsea) but now I have to forget about that and focus on Sunday as it’s another big game for us,” Bradley added.

“At the moment we are first in the table and we want to stay there. We have difficult games but we have to focus on the next game.

“We just take each game as it comes, you can only beat whoever is in front of you. We started really well and played some good football.

“Now it will be a step up, but we are all enjoying it. I can’t wait for it.”