Sami Hyypia can't hide admiration after watching Liverpool star for the first time

Liverpool are up and running for pre-season after Dominik Szoboszlai's goal secured a 1-0 victory for the Reds against Real Betis in the United States on Friday.

In what was a relatively comfortable performance from Arne Slot's side, there was one man in particular who stood out for Anfield legend Sami Hyypia, despite there being a total of 23 players involved for the Carabao Cup holders.

Liverpool have taken a rather depleted first-team across the pond for their pre-season tour, despite the likes of Mohamed Salah and goalscorer Szoboszlai turning out for the Reds on Friday, with a number of players still yet to return from international duty following their exploits at Euro 2024 and the Copa America this summer.

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Nonetheless, plenty of youth and academy players have been given their chance to impress, as well as those who consider themselves on the fringes of the first-team. That includes four teenagers who came off the bench against the La Liga outfit.

But following Friday's 1-0 victory against Real Betis, it was last season's breakout star Conor Bradley who stood out the most for Hyypia. The 21-year-old deputized magnificently in the wake of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold last season and it seems he's already picked up where he left off.

Having started the Acrisure Stadium contest, the Northern Ireland international managed 64 minutes in Pittsburgh before being replaced by Nat Phillips, providing an impressive display that helped the Reds keep a welcome clean sheet. Not only that, but he was a constant threat down the right flank, too.

And following the game, Hyypia did not hold back on what he thought of the youngsters' performance. Speaking as a pundit on LFCTV, the Anfield legend said: "I was very impressed. It’s the first time live I’ve seen him and he was tremendous. Full of energy and a lot of touches. He went forward all of the time.”

Bradley will now be hoping to push on from last season's breakthrough campaign, which yielded one goal and six assists in 23 appearances across all competitions. And with Alexander-Arnold still yet to return from his extended break, the Northern Irishman has the perfect opportunity to show Slot what he can do in his absence.