Not Wirtz: Hargreaves & McCoist blown away by ‘unbelievable’ 22-y/o Liverpool player vs Real Madrid | OneFootball

Owen Hargreaves was full of praise for Conor Bradley after a superb display against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The Northern Ireland international was one of Liverpool’s standout players on the night as the hosts secured a 1-0 victory at Anfield.

The fullback registered his 13th appearance (across all competitions) of the 2025/26 season, as the Reds jumped up to eighth in the Champions League table.

Conor Bradley impressed Hargreaves and McCoist

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

McCoist had been bemoaning Liverpool’s struggles with the fullback positions following a summer shuffle.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, of course, had accepted a move to Real Madrid with his contract expiring in the summer.

Meanwhile, sporting director Richard Hughes and the recruitment team identified Milos Kerkez as a suitable long-term replacement for the ageing Andy Robertson.

“I also think the fullback situation at Liverpool has been a little bit of a problem,” the commentator told TNT Sports.

“Kerkez coming in particularly on the left-hand side. I’m not sure I’d be starting him ahead of Robertson.”

Hargreaves interjected: “How good was Conor Bradley the other day [against Real Madrid]? Amazing.”

McCoist agreed: “Unbelievable. Unbelievable! Bradley was absolutely superb. Frimpong’s obviously got the injury.

“So a couple of things not setting for Liverpool.”

What do the stats say about Bradley’s performance against Real Madrid?

Bradley was awarded the third-highest match rating (8/10) for a Liverpool player by Fotmob, as the Reds secured a second successive victory over Los Blancos at Anfield.

And it was a pretty well-rounded performance from the right-back at both ends of the pitch.

* Conor Bradley’s stats for Liverpool during the 1-0 win vs Real Madrid in the Champions League (Fotmob)

Skipper Virgil van Dijk’s post-match statement supports McCoist and Hargreaves’ shared view on the matter.

“Very good, outstanding,” the number four spoke about Conor Bradley in the mixed zone.

“Last year, unfortunately, he got injured in this game. But today, he held his own against one of the best wingers in recent times.”

It’s Conor Bradley’s position to lose

Jeremie Frimpong has his work cut out for him if he wants to pinch back the right-back spot!

It’s an ideal headache, of course, for Arne Slot to have after having recently relied upon the services of midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai to plug what had been a problem position for Liverpool.

Now, it seems we’ve mostly got the right personnel playing in the right positions – and it’s already paying dividends for us on the pitch.

The big question now is whether Conor Bradley can stay fit long enough to really cement the position as his own.

* Conor Bradley’s injury record at Liverpool (club and country) across three seasons (Transfermarkt)

If not, Frimpong may find himself back in the starting-XI after the international break when he’s expected to return from injury.

Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobile