24-05-2025
Conor Bradley's driving factor at Liverpool will see him embrace the challenge next season says Michael O'Neill
Michael O'Neill says Conor Bradley is driven by his opportunity to play rather than contracts as the Tyrone man prepares for a big season ahead with Liverpool.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold heading out the exit door at Anfield, Bradley has the opportunity to nail down the right back spot as his own even with the impending arrival of Jeremie Frimpng from Bayern Leverkusen.
Arne Slot has shown his faith in the Northern Ireland international by tying him down to a new long-term deal with the Premier League champions but O'Neill insists it will be minutes on the pitch that Bradley will appreciate more.
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"I know they have been keen for Conor to extend his deal for quite a while," he said.
"Conor's not driven by contracts he's driven by opportunity to play and that's quite refreshing in the modern game.
"Having that stability will help him but he's driven by minutes and he wants to make sure he will get as many minutes as possible for Liverpool.
"He wants to play in the big games at Liverpool. He comes here, he's played in the big games and captained the team and I think you see that in his performances here.
"He's got a challenge on his hands at a club like Liverpool, but it's a challenge I think he's more than ready to meet and he's more than capable of establishing himself as a regular player there."
Bradley, who has been named in Northern Ireland's squad for next month's friendlies against Denmark and Iceland, faces a different challenge following with Alexander-Arnold expected to leave and Frimpong set to come, but O'Neill said the 21-year-old knows there will always be competition at a club like Liverpool.
"Conor's not stupid. He's playing, arguably, in one of the top three teams in Europe, they've won the Premier League and won it convincingly," he said.
"You have to expect competition and Conor knows that, whatever form that comes in.
"When you're at a club like Liverpool, you have to expect that. And as a lad, Conor's not fazed by that. He knows that if he wants to play at that level, he's going to have to play with that competition throughout his career.
"He provided that competition for Trent but he was trying at that point in time to dislodge a player that was very, very established at the club, a much-loved player and a player that had been very successful at the club," he added.
"I think whatever happens now at Liverpool, that competition will be different because it will be a newer player coming into the club if they choose to do that, but Conor's already proven that he's ready to step up. I think you see that the manager there more than trusts him."
