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Last week, former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce suggested that, by keeping both Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool might just have saved themselves from signing £200 million worth of replacements.

How on earth do you move on from arguably the finest goalscoring wideman in the game, and arguably the finest central defender?

Both Salah and Van Dijk have committed their futures to the Anfield outfit for the time being, as ex-West Ham, Newcastle United and Everton boss Allardyce argues that Arne Slot deserves all the credit for convincing two supremely-influential and very long-serving players that further success lies just around the corner.

Unfortunately, while Salah and Van Dijk are staying put, Trent Alexander-Arnold still looks destined for Real Madrid.

The West Derby-born right-back will be a free-agent in a matter of months, with contract talks of his own yet to reach an amicable conclusion.

Though, while a winger as prolific as Salah and a defender as complete as Van Dijk may have proven to be irreplaceable even after a £200 million splurge, the likely departure of Alexander-Arnold does feel slightly less damaging.

Conor Bradley may lack Trent’s world-leading technical ability – at least for now – but the raw talent is clearly bubbling under the surface of the all-action Northern Ireland international.

Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Liverpool legend Sammy Lee wants Bradley to step into Alexander-Arnold’s shoes from next season onwards, even if last week’s narrow 1-0 win at Leicester City highlighted the gulf that still remains between The Reds’ future right-back and their current one.

As Bradley struggled up against the tricky Stephy Mavididi, Alexander-Arnold stepped off the bench to lash Liverpool three points closer to Premier League glory.

That is just part and parcel of a young player’s development, with one below-par Bradley performance nowhere near enough to shake the confidence in a 21-year-old with a half-century of Reds appearances under his belt already.

“I said [when watching Bradley up against Mavididi]; ‘I’ve been there and you [co-host Gary Neville] have been there’.

“We might go and buy someone for £25m or a fourth-choice centre-back who can play right-back.
Give [Bradley] 12 months.”

Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Lest we forget, while injuries have stalled his progress, it is only a few months ago that Conor Bradley outshone Kylian Mbappe in a Champions League victory over Real Madrid.

He stared last season’s EFL Cup final, too, and showcased Alexander-Arnold-levels of game-changing creativity with two assists in a 4-1 thumping of Chelsea.

If you add the £50 million or so Liverpool could save on signing a more readymade Alexander-Arnold replacement, that takes a summer of hypothetical savings up to £250 million.

“I would go with [Bradley next season],” agrees Neville, who knows a thing or two about thriving as a right-back on the Premier League stage.
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