'A Castlederg boy that would have travelled anywhere to become a footballer' - Jim Magilton hails Northern Ireland's Conor Bradley after milestone Liverpool moment

Bradley has made a significant impact in recent weeks for Jurgen Klopp’s side, providing five assists in his last four matches and topped off a Man of the Match performance in victory over the Blues by ticking off another milestone after netting for the first time as a Reds star.

Having worked as the IFA’s Elite Performance Director for seven years, Bradley has been on Magilton’s radar for the best part of a decade after showing signs of promise at local club St. Patrick's F.C and then Dungannon Swifts.

Magilton, who made the same move as Bradley from the Irish League to Anfield in 1986, was full of pride as the Castlederg native became the first Northern Ireland international to score for Liverpool in nearly 70 years.

"Conor Bradley is an amazing individual,” he said. “The Conor Bradley you watched last night is the Conor Bradley that I saw as an 11-year-old.

"It fills everybody who has played a small part in his life with enormous pride. He's an incredible young man with enthusiasm, desire, application and is a Castlederg boy that would have travelled anywhere to become a footballer.

"Everybody that played a part in his life will be overjoyed with what he's doing at the minute. It was an incredible performance against a Chelsea side full of quality and he shone like a beacon.

"He's an incredible individual. He was captain of the Victory Shield team that won down in Tralee and that epitomised Conor as captain of the team and a leader.

"He can be quiet off the park but once you step over the white line you have to show real character and personality and that boy has it in abundance."

As with all players at such a young age, you’re never fully sure which talents will go on to fulfil their true potential with many variables at play, but Magilton knew Bradley always had a chance because of his attitude.

"No (I didn’t know he was destined to make it), because you don't know,” he added. “All you know is that every day he showed up for training and showed character.

"His enthusiasm to play whether in rain, sleet, snow - he turned up. His application to the game was just incredible and that makes him stand out.

"When people talked about him, I always thought he had a real chance because he loves the game and he's a low maintenance, high output type of player which is why he's at the club he is at.

"He's just taken the opportunity and last night his quality shone through to me. He's learned to adapt his game and there was always this unbelievable boy that had an incredible enthusiasm - that's the one thing that stood out."

Bradley will also have a huge role to play for Northern Ireland over the coming years and Magilton believes the more players that can establish themselves at the highest level, the better Michael O’Neill’s chances become of qualifying for another major tournament.

"It's fantastic for Northern Ireland,” he said. “When I was at the IFA, Michael and I would talk about every individual. Very few international managers get as involved in the youth set-up in the manner which Michael did.

"He knew every single player and we always spoke about Conor and were hopeful about him. It was always about could Conor break into the first team at a club like Liverpool in the Premier League. The more players Michael has at that level gives him a better chance for qualification.”