The Liverpool coach is putting his faith in Bradley's all-action style and believes the key to the Northern Irishman's success as Alexander-Arnold's successor is to steer clear of injury
If Conor Bradley wants to know how highly he is rated by Arne Slot, he should listen to the Liverpool manager mentioning him in the same breath as, arguably, the world’s best right-back. And no, we are not talking about Trent Alexander-Arnold.
With the England defender heading for Real Madrid, Sunday’s game against Arsenal at Anfield could be the official start of the Bradley era in the slot behind Mohamed Salah. And amongst the many things Bradley will bring, says Slot, is a remarkable tirelessness that reminds him of a modern great who has tormented English clubs in the Champions League this season.
“Conor has such an intense playing style,” says Slot. “They all run a lot but Conor is in his own league when it comes to running a lot. He is comparable maybe with Achraf Hakimi at PSG - he is everywhere during the game. But Hakimi is 26 I think and he is much more used to doing this every single week.
"He needs time, Conor, and a good programme to keep him fit. The ones who are not regular starters, it is harder to keep them fit than the ones who are. If Conor is going to be the regular starter next season, that could maybe help him as well.”
And, clearly, the only slight doubt held by Slot is whether Bradley can stay as injury-free as so many Liverpool players managed to do in this title-winning season. Bradley, 21, has already suffered back, hamstring, ankle and muscle problems in his relatively short career.
Slot explains: “To become a very good player you have to be available every week and that is the first step he has to take next season. But we have confidence in Conor as a very good full-back for Liverpool.”
Bradley will start against Arsenal, meaning the first sign of what sort of reception awaits Alexander-Arnold will come when he warms up during the game. But, predictably, Slot is hoping supporters do not send too much emotional energy Trent’s way.
Slot says: “Players want to be here and we can focus on the one who is leaving or the one or two who have left before OR we can focus on the fact how special it is that Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk have extended their contracts here again and want to be here longer. Trent is not the first and won’t be the last one to leave a special club.
"Players from City, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool sometimes go somewhere else. What is important for me is that it was really hard for him to leave this club. We as a club did everything we could to keep him here and then we have to accept his decision.”
And Slot admits he gets where Alexander-Arnold is coming from when the England defender talks of testing himself in a different environment. The Liverpool coach says: “As a human being, you can maybe understand that he wants a new challenge because, if he is so many years in the same league, some players then want to experience something else.
“(But) Mo and Virgil are playing here just as long or maybe even longer and they want to extend. So, it’s up to every individual himself.”
Even though a healthy rivalry has redeveloped between the two teams, Slot is unsure of how intense this latest contest will be, saying: “It's difficult to predict if it will be edgy. Maybe there's a little bit at stake for Arsenal … they will qualify for the Champions League, but I assume they prefer to end up second than end up three or four. For us, we can only end up as number one.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.