'Exceptional' Liverpool star who 'everybody loves' reflects on 'unreal' run under Jurgen Klopp so far

Conor Bradley will be hoping there are even more highs to come in this whirlwind season with Liverpool. The 20-year-old defender was handed a huge opportunity when he was called upon to fill in for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold — an opportunity he seized with both hands.

Bradley's performances this season have turned a lot of heads and his astronomical rise into the spotlight has earned him praise from fans, teammates, professionals, and most importantly Jurgen Klopp. The manager has proved yet again why clubs should take a chance on their young talents as Bradley's role within this Liverpool side will surely give the new manager a headache when it comes to team selections next season.

Reflecting on his season so far, Bradley spoke to BBC Sport NI and described his run as a senior member of Liverpool as an 'unreal' experience.

"To get out there playing for Liverpool is brilliant but to get my first goal and first couple of assists has been unreal. It's pretty special what's happened and I just want to keep it going," he said.

"It was so special to make my Premier League debut, I don't think I can actually put it into words. It's what I had been waiting for for such a long time and I've been dreaming about for a long time, so to get that and to also assist in that game was brilliant, I was just buzzing."

Bradley made his Premier League debut again Bournemouth and contributed an assist in the Reds' dominant 4-0 win. The following game-week, the right-back enjoyed a stunning attacking performance with a goal and two assists in their 4-1 win over Chelsea.

Bradley was granted compassionate leave following the tragic passing of his father, but he returned against Brentford and has started every Premier League game since. He also played a key role in Liverpool's Carabao Cup triumph.

"It's pretty mental all the trophies I've collected in the last couple of months but it's been brilliant and I don't think I could have dreamt of it going quite so well," he continued. "But I want to keep it going, I want to keep working hard. I want to keep improving myself because I know there's still a lot of improvement to be made.

"I'm just a normal lad from back in Ireland. I just try to be myself and I've got a great family behind me, my mum and sister — they're brilliant with me and they help me a lot."

After their Carabao Cup semi-final win over Fulham, Klopp heaped praise on Bradley, describing him as an 'exceptional' player.

The Reds boss said: "What a boy, a fantastic character, with intelligence, top potential. And he's in the right team because everybody loves him, everybody respects him, everybody wants him to succeed so it was a great game with all the difficulties of every football game."