Northern Ireland coach Michael O'Neil admits they expect big things from Liverpool youngster Conor Bradley.

The fullback has been outstanding since breaking into the Liverpool XI this season.

O'Neil said: "I'd known of Conor from my tenure the first time," said O'Neill.

"He was an under-16 player going to Liverpool. We obviously had high hopes for him. He's dealt with a very difficult situation at home. I was at the funeral on Tuesday.

"It was a hell of a week for him with what he went through with his family but he's got a really strong family unit. That was evident. He's a strong boy mentally and I think he's shown what he's capable of as a player.

His level of performance coming into the Liverpool team has been fantastic," added O'Neill.

"He was injured for the majority of the first half of the season as well so I think we would probably have seen that earlier if that hadn't been the case.

"We only had him for three games out of 10 in qualification for Euro 2024. He's going to be a huge player for us going forward.

"We see it at Liverpool where he's playing at right-back.

"There's people who've worked with him when he was very young with Northern Ireland tell me that if I'm brave enough to play him in midfield that I'll see an even better player. We'll see what comes of that. I'll have to be brave.

"But he's one of a number of young players. He's in a good group. The likes of Shea Charles, Isaac Price, Callum Marshall, Dale Taylor, Trai Hume.

"We have six or seven players who are nearly starters for us at this moment in time who are under-21 so those lads need time, need games. And Conor's got a nice group developing (around him). This tournament will give us a chance to add to the experience."