Former Northern Ireland boxer Carl Frampton has made a bold claim about Conor Bradley, stating that the Tyrone youngster could be the region's most high-profile player since Manchester United legend George Best.
Bradley, 20, came on for Liverpool in their 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday evening, playing a crucial role in helping Liverpool advance in the FA Cup. Bradley has already made four appearances under Klopp and may secure the permanent right-back position if Trent Alexander-Arnold moves into midfield. He has also earned 13 caps for his country.
The Liverpool youngster received lavish praise for his performance against Arsenal, successfully handling Brazilian wideman Gabriel Martinelli. Fans watching the game on social media appreciated Bradley's display.
Former boxer Carl Frampton praised the Castlederg player and predicted that he could potentially become as well-known as former United star Best, who played for Manchester United from 1961 to 1974 and achieved significant success during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Frampton made the bold claim on his X account, stating, "Here’s a shout: @conorbradley03 is going to be Northern Ireland’s highest-profile player after Best."
TOPSHOT: Liverpool's Northern Irish defender #84 Conor Bradley (L) vies with Arsenal's English midfielder #10 Emile Smith Rowe (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)Some individuals on X challenged Frampton's statement, reminding him of other notable Northern Ireland stars such as Pat Jennings, Norman Whiteside, David Healy, Steven Davis, and Jonny Evans.
"Pat Jennings! The greatest goalkeeper ever still features in players' greatest-ever teams 40 years after he retired. He’s got a long way to go to get anywhere near Big Pat," one reply to Frampton stated.
Another response highlighted the achievements of other Northern Ireland players, saying, "Martin O’Neill captained N. Forest to back-to-back European Cups... I’d say that’s hard to beat. Plus, J. Evans won three Premier Leagues and a Champions League trophy with United (albeit not as a starter in the team). I would love to see Bradley do well, but that’s a big shout."
Frampton's comments come a month after Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praised Conor Bradley, describing him as a "real talent" after Liverpool's 4-0 win against Lask in the Europa League.
"I love it," Klopp said after the match. "And Conor, with just a few moments in the game, you can see he is a real talent for us. He is a real prospect for us. We really count on him. It is so nice. There are a lot of positives. For Conor tonight, I told him after the game to enjoy it."
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