The AWKWARD truth about Liverpool's preferred Trent Alexander-Arnold replacement

Trent Alexander-Arnold would appear to be on his way out of Anfield. The Liverpool right-back has reportedly agreed a deal to join Real Madrid - where he will bank an almighty signing-on fee as well as a blockbuster salary.

Having starred for the Reds over the course of the past decade, it’s a bitter blow for supporters to be losing one of their own.

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The No66 has become an Anfield icon - growing up through the youth ranks to become a two-time Premier League winner, a Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup winner too.

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In truth, there are no more worlds for Trent to conquer at Liverpool but fans are desperate to see him stay and add to his legend. If the inevitable happens, however, and Alexander-Arnold moves on, there is no question who supporters would favour replacing him.

Conor Bradley - the chosen one

Conor Bradley, 21, seems destined to take over with a story to echo Alexander-Arnold’s own. The Northern Ireland international is another academy graduate and has the skill and tenacity to reign at Anfield for a decade to come.

He has already demonstrated his capability to replace Alexander-Arnold, with the England man missing several matches over the last couple of seasons due to injury.

Bradley has never let the side down, excelling against even the highest-calibre opponents. Since his first-team debut, Bradley has played over 50 times with his tenacity and tireless forward running becoming a feature of Liverpool’s game.

Despite his pedigree, Liverpool still seem to be making plans to add a right-back.

We’ve encountered links to Jules Kounde, Vanderson, Wesley Franca and more over the last few months - suggesting that decision-makers at the club aren’t totally happy about Bradley being the sole option.

Bradley's extensive injury trouble

And it’s not hard to see why Richard Hughes and Slot might feel like that. Because the elephant in the room is Bradley’s own injury record - which has seen his availability over the past couple of seasons being restricted - especially for a young player.

Last weekend Trent was back in the line-up following his ankle injury against Paris Saint-Germain last month. In an ideal world, Bradley would have deputised but was nursing a knock from training.

This season he has had two extended spells out of the first-team picture with muscle injuries - also missing matches for his country.

The campaign before his entry to the first-team picture was delayed owing to a stress fracture in his back and he missed more matches during the run-in.

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No doubt Bradley is the chosen one when it comes time to select a new right-back if Trent leaves. But he could really do with a stretch of games through pre-season and long into the following campaign to demonstrate he is physically up to the job.