Inside the emergence of Conor Bradley, Liverpool's 'gift from God' who snubbed Man Utd

CONOR BRADLEY called his first Liverpool goal 'a dream' but few in Aghyaran will be surprised he is now living out his fantasy.

For them it was just a matter of when, not if, the boy from a hamlet in Northern Ireland would grow up.

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Yet it was in this small town in West Tyrone, population 1,384, that Bradley became known as 'a gift from God'.

Everyone who knew him knew that and Jürgen Klopp knows it now too.

From playing for Dungannon Swifts as a winger to the organized violence of Gaelic football with St Davogs or becoming the Northern Ireland cross country champion at primary school, everyone who knew him believed he would fulfill whatever dream he had.

Dixie Robinson, Swift's head of development, who signed him at the age of 14, revealed: “He had tactical know-how beyond his years.

“He had a lot of talent and every time you put him on he answered the call.

“Conor was a gift from God and a wonderful young man.”

At the right-back's primary school, St Patrick's, five miles away in Castlederg, where he was born, they speak of him with affection, saying: 'He's a great friend. What stood out about him was his temperament and his ability to get everyone involved in the game.”

Tommy Moss from St Davogs GAA said: “Everyone is so proud of him because he is very down to earth, a lovely guy, none of this is going to go to his head.

“That attitude has everything to do with why he created it.”

His coach at first club St Patricks was amazed after Bradley, 20, scored two goals in the 5-2 FA Cup win over Norwich last Sunday.

And then he added a few more assists, plus that unforgettable goal in Wednesday's 4-1 defeat to Chelsea. Rory Lynch said: “His football brain always pushed him – he did things no one else could do.”

Manchester United and Chelsea had him on trial, but he had always supported Liverpool.

In 2019 he was an Anfield academy player and in 2021 Ian Baraclough made him his debut as a substitute against Malta.

Baraclough, now No.2 at Cheltenham, said: “What Conor shows every time he plays is energy and enthusiasm.

“When a young guy like that comes into a team, it gives everyone a lift.

“He's quiet, but there's a glint in his eye. I suspect there will be a mischievous side to it, but it will be funny, not nasty.”