25 April 2023 , 12:20
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Conor Bradley is "a contender" to play a bigger part for the club next season after impressing on loan.
Right-back Bradley has thrived on loan at Bolton this season as Ian Evatt's side push for promotion. The Northern Ireland international has been one of Evatt's most-used players, with the Trotters close to clinching a play-off spot in League One.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold moving into a hybrid role combining defensive and midfield duties, questions are being asked about squad changes in the upcoming season. Klopp was asked about Bradley ahead of the Reds' trip to West Ham on Wednesday and made his position clear.
"We are in constant contact," Klopp said. "For sure he's a contender [to feature next season]. The plan at the moment is to bring him back and keep him but we will see."
Bradley was handed his senior debut by Klopp last season, playing 90 minutes against Norwich in a Carabao Cup third round win. He made two further appearances in the competition, also adding one FA Cup outing and a Champions League debut against AC Milan.
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This term, the 19-year-old has played in 39 of Bolton's 43 games, scoring five goals. He also featured in Bolton's run to EFL Trophy glory, scoring in a third-round victory over Manchester United's under-21 side.
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Conor Bradley has impressed on loan at Bolton (Paul Currie/REX/Shutterstock)“The play-offs is the goal," Bradley told Bolton's club media after the EFL Trophy win. "We want to return to Wembley and get a second bite at the cherry. Hopefully we can keep winning as many game as we can, make sure we get in the top six and see what happens from there.
“We know it’s going to be close. There are a lot of teams around us so we just need to keep focusing on ourselves and try and win as many games as we can and hopefully that will get us in the play-offs."
Evatt's men are unbeaten in their last six games, winning three and drawing three. Victory over Accrington on Tuesday would leave them needing just one more win to mathematically make sure of a play-off berth.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's role has changed of late (AP)Liverpool, meanwhile, will be going after a league double over West Ham on Wednesday, with Darwin Nunez scoring the only goal of the game when the sides met in October. West Ham beat them in East London last season, though, and another defeat would damage the Reds' European hopes.
"This season we've struggled with consistency after good results," Alexander-Arnold exclusively told Mirror Football earlier in April. "We've not really been able to follow them up with a second or third in a row.
"Of course we want to win every game but the most important thing is getting a good run of form and getting momentum at this time of the season. If we can find that then we can look towards top four, but first and foremost is getting some consistency on board."