Conor Bradley claims Liverpool teammate is the 'best player in the world' on current form

Liverpool youngster Conor Bradley has claimed that one of his teammates is the best in the world in his position.

Liverpool continued their winning run on Wednesday evening with a 2-1 win against Fulham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals at Anfield.

The visitors took an unexpected early lead when Willian pounced on Virgil van Dijk's uncharacteristic error. Two quick-fire strikes from Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo after half-time turned the tie in Liverpool's favour ahead of the second leg at Craven Cottage next week.

Liverpool pulled off the comeback without the help of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who suffered a knee injury during his side's FA Cup defeat of Arsenal.

Though the right-back - who has particularly impressed this season when pushing up into midfield - isn't expected to be out for more than three weeks, his absence has provided an opportunity for 20-year-old Conor Bradley to earn more first team minutes.

The Northern Irish defender impressed coming off the bench at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and was trusted by Jurgen Klopp to play the full 90 minutes in Wednesday's semi-final.

Bradley made more tackles (six) than any of his defensive colleagues and was named the man of the match at Anfield.

He's certainly not going to get too comfortable in his new starting role though. After the game, Bradley praised the man he replaced as the best player in the world.

"Trent... probably the best right-back in the world at the minute, if not the best player in the world at the minute with the way he’s playing," he said.

"He's a big miss for us, but I just tried to do everything I could to fill in for him and thankfully we got the win."

The England international has enjoyed a remarkable rise to stardom over the last five years or so, and Bradley could be on a similar path himself.

Liverpool boss Klopp was full of praise for the youngster after the Fulham win. He said: "Exceptional. What a boy. Fantastic character, real talent, top potential - and he's in the right team because everybody loves him and respects him and wants him to succeed, it's really nice."

Topics: Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Premier League, Carabao Cup, Jurgen Klopp

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton