Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has praised Conor Bradley for silencing Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior in last night’s crucial Champions League match.<\/strong><\/p>\n The young right-back has become a more important player for Liverpool this season after Trent Alexander-Arnold left in the summer and Jeremy Frimpong has struggled with both fitness and form since joining from Bayer Leverkusen.<\/p>\n Van Dijk was clearly pleased with Bradley’s performance in last night’s 1-0 win over Real Madrid, with the Northern Ireland international dealing well with Vinicius throughout the game and ensuring the Brazilian had little impact.<\/p>\n Watch the video clip below to see Van Dijk’s reaction to Bradley’s praises…<\/p>\n Alexander-Arnold’s departure was a huge blow for LFC, with the England international’s contract expiring before completing his move to the Bernab\u00e9u.<\/p>\n Getting into that position after Liverpool was never easy for anyone, and even a proven talent like Frimpong was slow to find the form and settle in like he did in Germany.<\/p>\n However, Bradley looks like a real revelation for Arne Slott’s team and deserves special praise from Van Dijk.<\/p>\n It will be interesting to see whether Bradley or Frimpong end up being Liverpool’s first choice right-back as the season progresses.<\/p>\n But for now, if the Dutch tactician were to pick based solely on merit, there would probably be a very good case for Bradley to continue to start in that position.<\/p>\n But speaking recently, Slott was keen to downplay any comparisons between Bradley and Alexander-Arnold, perhaps understandably trying to ease the pressure on the 22-year-old.<\/p>\n Still, a look at the stats below shows how effectively Bradley silenced Vinicius, and if he can continue to perform like this and develop his game with experience, he’ll be the real deal.<\/p>\nCould Conor Bradley help Liverpool replace Trent Alexander-Arnold?<\/h2>\n