4 tackles, Mbappe kept quiet: Liverpool may already have a replacement for the contract rebel

Liverpool’s preparation for last night’s big game against Real Madrid will have been slightly overshadowed by the fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract situation and his links to the Reds’ Champions League opponents were a major distraction.

After all, Alexander-Arnold is probably the best right-back in the world at the moment and one of the most high-profile players about to become a free agent as he is out of contract at Anfield next summer.

This led to reports of meetings between Liverpool and Real Madrid (according to Marca) ahead of this big game, but by the end of the 90 minutes the Kop could be forgiven for completely forgetting about their star player as they watched the rise of another gem from theirs Academy.

With Alexander-Arnold injured in this game, Conor Bradley started at right-back for Arne Slot’s side and did an excellent job of keeping Madrid Galactico Kylian Mbappe quiet throughout the game.

The France international was obviously not at his best anyway and missed a golden chance from the penalty spot, but Bradley also provided one of the game’s finest moments when he challenged the former PSG player at the perfect time as he was about to score to break through.

Can Conor Bradley replace Trent Alexander-Arnold?

It’s no surprise that Liverpool are being linked with big names like Jeremie Frimpong (as pictured) to replace Alexander-Arnold, but could Bradley also show he’s good enough to move up?

The 21-year-old Northern Ireland international doesn’t have quite the same playing style as Trent, but is clearly a solid defender and last night made four successful tackles in a game of huge importance against formidable opposition.

Nothing seems to faze Bradley, and that’s the kind of mentality Slot will expect from his players, especially when they experience the loss of someone like Alexander-Arnold.

Real Madrid certainly won’t care that Liverpool narrowly missed out on Alexander-Arnold in that big game against them last night, as they will surely see his signing as too good an opportunity to turn down if his contract does end up running out.

However, LFC fans will certainly now view this situation with a little more calm – just as Caoimhin Kelleher has heroically stepped up in goal in Alisson’s absence, Bradley has also shown that the future can be bright without another star name in the team.