He’s a down-to-earth yet talented teenage footballer who is living out his boyhood dream, but Conor Bradley still pinches himself when he shares the first-team facilities with Mo Salah at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground.
“Any time I’m with the first team I go to the gym and he’s already in there doing his core work or stretching,” an admiring Bradley told Sky Sports News ahead of another chance to impress with Northern Ireland.
“It’s just a little thing, but it’s why he’s one of the best in the world. He works so hard. It’s an inspiration for me that if you want to be one of the best you have to train like it and act like it.”
The 18-year-old attended his first Liverpool game as a supporter in 2014 when his favourite player growing up, Luis Suarez, was on target along with Steven Gerrard and a Daniel Sturridge double in a 4-0 Merseyside derby win over Everton.
“I remember walking into the stands at Anfield just taking it all in. My early memory of Liverpool winning was the League Cup against Cardiff in 2012,” Bradley said.
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He is too young to remember the famous Istanbul Champions League final but was fortunate to see them win the tournament when they beat Tottenham in 2019.
He trained with like likes of Salah and Virgil van Dijk at 16, a “pretty surreal” experience, and earlier this year he struggled to contain his delight when given a senior debut at Norwich in the Carabao Cup.
“We had a meeting and Jurgen named the starting team. I did manage to keep the excitement in check but only just,” he recalls in an enthusiastic tone.
“Andy Robertson was helpful before the match. He told me to play my normal game and Jurgen encouraged me to be brave and don’t always play the safe pass.
“Even when we play as full backs our main job is to create chances and put crosses in the box.”
Klopp believes the versatile youngster can play in a central midfield position in addition to being a right-back or wing-back.
“You never know when Ian Baraclough or Jurgen will call upon me so I like to play any position I’m told,” Conor said.
“I try and take as much as I can when training with the first team. With people like Trent and Neco (Williams) it’s about taking bits of their game and adding to mine.”
“I want to maximise the talent I’ve got. I love the way you have to work hard and earn the right to play. That’s my main ethos as a player and that’s what Liverpool is.”
So how does he stop himself from getting carried away in a year he’s faced Norwich, Preston, Switzerland twice and Bulgaria in competitive games?
“My mum and dad keep my feet on the ground. My mum advises me not to be influenced by social media and just play my own game, [she says] I’m nothing yet and she’s right.”
Bradley is still developing physically but it has not prevented him enjoying that side of the game – as demonstrated in his competitive Northern Ireland debut against Switzerland when he crunched into a tackle on Torino’s Ricardo Rodriguez, an action that immediately endeared him to the home supporters.
“I went on a wee dribble and lost it which led to the tackle! I’m fearless, I enjoy going into tackles and love creating chances for my team mates.”
“Ian will give young players a chance. He’s given me and Dale Taylor a go and shown real trust in me. Having a manager like him is great and I know there is talent in the 21s and 19s.”
Bradley was a ball boy at Windsor Park for Northern Ireland’s 3-1 defeat against Germany in 2017 and vividly remembers how “the atmosphere was unbelievable.”
Last week the Republic of Ireland’s U21 manager Jim Crawford revealed they were interested in securing Bradley, who needs one more competitive cap to secure his future with Baraclough’s side.
“It’s been unreal. It’s my third or fourth camp and I’ve enjoyed every single one of them. The boys are great with me. I look up to the likes of Steven Davis and Stuart Dallas.
“The next coming years I’d love to be starting for Northern Ireland, trying to hold down the right back spot but I know it’ll be difficult because there are a few good players that can play there.”
Whether it’s name checking his old youth coach Roy Lynch, singing the praises of the Club NI scheme, the coaches at Liverpool, or even laughing off the story about a referee recommending him to Dungannon after seeing him in a kids game, you get the sense Bradley is taking it all in his stride.
His early memories of football were watching Lionel Messi on TV dazzling in a Champions League game against Arsenal. His mum is a runner – “I think I take my attributes from her” – and his brother is a rally car driver. Bradley himself takes a keen interest in F1, enjoying the rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
The Tyrone teenager is loving life in the fast lane.