Michael O'Neill praises 'terrific lad' Conor Bradley after Liverpool star takes Northern Ireland captaincy in stride

With the recent retirements of Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas and Jonny Evans, O’Neill named Sunderland defender Trai Hume as skipper for their opening two UEFA Nations League matches before handing Liverpool ace Bradley the armband for this month’s double-header.

The Northern Ireland chief hasn’t yet named a permanent international captain for his young side, which included nine players aged 25 or under on Tuesday as 21-year-old Isaac Price scored his country’s first hat-trick since David Healy in 2007.

Bradley, who progressed through the youth ranks at Dungannon Swifts before moving to Anfield in 2019, only turned 21 himself this summer but displays maturity beyond his years both on and off the pitch.

He enjoyed a breakout season with the Reds last term, making 11 Premier League appearances and scored a maiden goal against Chelsea, while new boss Arne Slot has handed him six senior outings, including a Champions League cameo in victory over Bologna earlier this month.

Bradley is the only current Northern Ireland ace that’s playing at the highest level in England and O’Neill was impressed with how the right-back adapted to the role of captain.

"Conor has got massive credibility in the group,” he said. “The players have obviously known him since a young age, and they see he plays for Liverpool and the way he trains and conducts himself.

"Conor leads from the front. He plays with real honesty and that's a big part of his personality as well. He is a terrific lad but also someone who is determined to go as far as he can in the game.

"All these lads are really good lads. They have great qualities and there are no issues. They have their down time in the hotel and spend it with each other, which is really nice to see.

"I think they have a lot of strong relationships and I don't have to do much. You talk about how you build team spirit, the secret is the team builds it themselves.”

Another young player that shone on Tuesday evening was Huddersfield Town wing-back Brodie Spencer, who is a product of Cliftonville’s academy.

The 20-year-old was a constant threat on the left flank, playing a key role in both Price’s second and Northern Ireland’s third with his shot bouncing back off the post and in via goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov’s back.

"I thought Brodie was brilliant,” he added. “Firstly, he kept their best player (Kiril Despodov) quiet and he also gave us a huge amount going forward.

"He was involved in the second goal, the third goal – he’s very unlucky that isn’t his goal – and he’s just got the athletic ability to play in that position. It’s not easy being a right-footed player playing on the left, but he’s adapting all the time.

"He’s 20 and playing on the left with Callum (Marshall), who is 19. I thought they were both terrific and combined really well in the first half.”