Jurgen Klopp names 'top' Liverpool player who still 'has to learn' after Europa League loss

Jurgen Klopp saluted the attitude that Conor Bradley showed in Liverpool's Europa League loss to Royal Union Saint-Gilloise.

Bradley was making his first start of the season after battling back from a stress fracture in his back sustained in the summer.

The right-back enjoyed a fine loan spell at Bolton Wanderers in the 2022-23 campaign where he recorded seven goals and eight assists - and was named the League One outfit's Player of the Year.

Bradley was one of several youngsters who started against Union. With Liverpool already securing top spot in Group E and their passage into the knockout stage, the average age of the team Jurgen Klopp named was 22 years old. The Reds struggled against the Belgian leaders, especially in the first half with Jarell Quansah netting either side of strikes from Mohamed Amoura and Cameron Puertas for the home side.

Bradley got through 90 minutes against Union in what represents another big step in his recovery. Klopp was impressed by aspects of the 20-year-old's display but knows there's still plenty more to come as he continues to develop. The Liverpool manager said: "Conor is a top player, I like him a lot. His attitude is outstanding, he's a real fighter. And how everybody in the first half was, we were struggling, we were struggling, we lost balls in the wrong moments and it's really difficult. I would never judge a player after a game like this and tell, 'OK, he's obviously not good enough' or whatever. I know how good they are because I see them every day in training and tonight is an important experience.

"I don't think any career ever started without these kind of games where you have to struggle, where you have to fight through, where you have to survive – and Conor, especially, did. We found a way into the game, had good moments, really good moments and other moments where he knows he can improve and he has to learn. He's still young. But that's part of development."