Ref tip on Bradley’s brilliance

JURGEN KLOPP has enjoyed a mixed relationship with referees during his time at Anfield.

But he might have one to thank for the emergence of the club’s latest prodigy, Conor Bradley.

Head of youth development at Dungannon Swifts, Dixie Robinson, (below) said: “We got a recommendation from a guy who was actually a referee – he called the club and told us he had just seen the best player he’d refereed in any form of football.

“He was playing for St Patrick’s at the time. We invited him to Dungannon to play in a couple of friendly games. Right away you could see that he was a lot better than almost everyone on the pitch.

“On ability alone, he was extraordinary.

“Based on the amount of travelling, he and his mum Linda decided against coming to us.

“But I kept in touch with her and I think I annoyed her for about 18 months until he eventually came to us as an Under-14.

“He was well on the radar of everyone by that time – his athleticism and his pace were just scary.”

When Bradley scored for Liverpool against Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday night, he became the first Northern Irish scorer for the Reds in 70 years.

“He’s a great boy, someone who is always willing to take things on board and work hard,” said Robinson.

“His mum always had him well-grounded.

“His discipline was amazing and he had everything else you needed to go across the water and be a success.

“Did I think Conor would be playing at Liverpool at 20 years old? Not a chance. But that really tells you everything. He’s quite phenomenal.”