Neil Lennon jokingly told Sky Sports that Liverpool teenager Conor Bradley could do with drinking ‘a few Guinness’ after making his Northern Ireland debut this week.
On Wednesday night, the 18-year-old was thrown into a pressured environment and handed his international bow during his side’s goalless draw against Switzerland in their World Cup qualifier.
Lennon stated that it was a ‘big call’ by Ian Baraclough and he praised the right-back for how he coped.
The Liverpool academy product came on as a second-half substitute and didn’t look out of place during his 22 minutes on the field of play.
Ex-Celtic boss Lennon was impressed with what he saw from the ‘talented’ player, given the circumstances, but he had some words of wisdom for the young kid.
“It’s a big call from the manager to throw him into what was a really pressurised situation,” said Lennon.
“Ian obviously has great belief in him. He is obviously a talented player. I haven’t seen a lot of him, I have to admit.
“He could do with having a few Guinness and putting a few pounds on. But that will come with his maturity.
“Obviously, being at Liverpool, they see him as a talent and he came across very maturely there. I quite like the look of him. He looks athletic and he looks comfortable on the ball.”
Northern Ireland aren’t the biggest of footballing nations, so Bradley would naturally be more under the cosh making his senior debut.
The games for Baraclough’s men, during the next international break, will only get tougher and add more pressure because they are touch-and-go in wanting to qualify for Qatar 2022.
But it will be music to the ears for those at Liverpool that one of their rising stars is being trusted to get them over that dotted line.
Regardless of what happens, situations like this will only make Bradley better and prepare him for the big time in years to come.
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