Forgotten Liverpool youngster makes squad point after returning to action against LASK

Jurgen Klopp was able to welcome back youngster Conor Bradley in the victory over LASK in the Europa League last night, and he impressed with a short cameo.

Bradley, 20, has missed the whole season so far with a back injury suffered at the end of pre-season but returned with an eight minute stint off the bench in the Europa League which was a delight for fans.

Starting off brightly in pre-season, his summer was cut short after suffering a stress fracture in his back which led four months on the sidelines. It was certainly frustrating given that he had just enjoyed a brilliant year on loan at Bolton, winning three of their end-of-season awards, but the untimely injury meant he was unable to build upon his growing momentum.

In his eight-minute appearances last night, he managed four touches, 100% pass accuracy (nine passes) one chance created, two passes into the final third and one recovery in an all-action display, as he introduced himself to the Anfield crowd once again.

Klopp spoke highly of the defender in his post-match interview, claiming Bradley is someone he can 'count on' going forward: “With just a few moments in the game, you can see he’s a real talent. A real prospect for us. We really count on him,” he continued.

Bradley himself was overjoyed to return to action, after what has been a frustrating period. “I was hoping we would score more so I could get on the pitch but, yeah, buzzing to be back,” Bradley told LFCTV. “It’s been a frustratingly long couple of months out injured so buzzing to be back.

“I knew then it would be 12 weeks or so injured, it was a hard one to take, but, thankfully, I’m back now and [I’m] happy. I was really enjoying pre-season, I thought I was doing quite well so it was a difficult time but I’ve worked hard and got myself back. I’m buzzing to be back.”

One issue that Klopp has had this season is finding a suitable back-up for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back; we've seen Joe Gomez fill in there but the Liverpool manager has also opted to for Stefan Bajcetic and Wataru Endo in those roles which has brought differing results.

The first-choice right-back has been flirting with a move into midfield after being selected there for England by Gareth Southgate, and Bradley's emergence could see his midfield move be replicated at club level. He even played in as the midfield 'eight' when Bradley came on.

With Liverpool's final group game in the Europa League against Union Saint-Gilloise being a dead rubber - as they've already qualified - which could see Bradley feature again as he looks to build upon his six club appearances so far.