Liverpool star Conor Bradley reacts to Sunderland man Dan Ballard’s message
Liverpool defender Conor Bradley has reacted to a message from Sunderland star and Northern Ireland teammate Dan Ballard.
Bradley will be hoping to challenge Reds new boy Jeremie Frimpong for a spot in Arne Slot’s starting 11 next season after fellow right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Ballard played a major role in Sunderland’s promotion back to the Premier League, as he scored a dramatic extra-time winner against Coventry City in the playoff semi-finals.
Both the Black Cats centre-back and the Liverpool fullback were involved in the action as Northern Ireland beat Iceland 1-0 on Tuesday, 10 June.
Liverpool star Bradley reacts as Ballard celebrates Northern Ireland win
Ballard will hope to prove his worth in the Premier League for Sunderland next season after winning promotion from the Championship.
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old celebrated Northern Ireland’s win over Iceland via Instagram on Wednesday, 11 June, as he wrote: “Enjoyable end to the season! Nice to top it off with a win at home.”
The defender’s message attracted a like from Bradley, who enjoyed regular game time for Liverpool in the closing stages of last season.
Football Insider verdict
Bradley could enjoy more game time for Liverpool next season
Barring a loan spell with Bolton Wanderers in 2022/23, Bradley has spent the entirety of his senior footballing career deputising for Alexander-Arnold.
| Conor Bradley stats | Premier League 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 19 |
| Starts | 7 |
| Minutes played | 748 |
The Northern Ireland international will hope that the Liverpudlian’s big move to the Spanish capital will see him playing more regularly next term.
Frimpong is an outstanding talent who helped German club Leverkusen win the domestic double in an invincible 2023/24 season, but the gulf in class between Liverpool’s new signing and Bradley is less than that of the Northern Irishman and Alexander-Arnold.
The former Bolton loanee will therefore believe he can earn more than the seven Premier League starts he received last season, while Slot now has more genuine scope for rotation.
Furthermore, Frimpong played as a wing-back for Leverkusen, and could take some time to adjust to the more traditional full-back role that Bradley is used to operating in.
Elsewhere, Ian Darke has tipped Andy Robertson to leave Anfield this summer in a Liverpool News 247 exclusive.