'I'd put both hands in fire for him' - Jurgen Klopp reveals Liverpool staff member who urged him to play Conor Bradley

The Reds academy graduate netted his first Liverpool goal on Wednesday evening in a stunning 4-1 win over Chelsea. The 20-year-old was in the thick of things as he also provided two assists, setting up Diogo Jota and Dominik Szoboszlai, and he received a standing ovation from a raucous crowd after he was withdrawn in the second half.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Klopp was questioned about his knowledge of Bradley's ability and said: "What a great night, what an atmosphere, what a football game, it was a screamer. Yeah, I know it for a while because in the left ear is Pep Lijnders and in the right ear is Vitor Matos. I remember Pep sat in my office and said, ‘I’d put both hands in fire for him!’ I loved him from the first day, I didn’t need a lot of convincing. The thing is, Conor showed up extremely good in pre-season, did extremely well at Bolton [on loan]. Comes back, looks top in pre-season, wow, and then is out for five months [or] four months, [with] like these kind of issues that only young people have, but thank God then time can sort it. At our age it would not get better but in that age group it gets better.

"He is incredible. The fans were already singing his name. He is flying and rightly so. He is working hard and he is a great footballer. People said in the summer we needed another right-back but we were very positive about Conor."

Bradley is living his dream at Anfield as he has been a revelation for Klopp in recent weeks. He had earlier impressed during the 5-2 win against Norwich in the FA Cup where he registered a pair of assists and also set up another on his league debut against Bournemouth on January 21.

Bradley's sensational form at right-back might lead Klopp to use Trent Alexander-Arnold more in midfield. However, the full-back will be tested to the hilt when he makes a trip to Emirates to take on fellow title contenders Arsenal this Sunday in a blockbuster Premier League encounter.