Conor Bradley a 'really special' talent - O'Neill

Northern Ireland head Michael O'Neill praised Conor Bradley's cognition aft nan 20-year-old scored some goals successful his side's 2-0 triumph complete Andorra successful Murcia connected Tuesday night.

The Liverpool subordinate recovered nan nett doubly successful nan abstraction of six first-half minutes, connected some occasions coming disconnected nan correct helping to decorativeness from wrong nan six-yard box.

After besides providing nan victor against Scotland successful March, nan County Tyrone man has now scored each 3 of Northern Ireland's goals successful their 2 astir caller victories.

"We've sewage a really typical young subordinate who tin only proceed that way," said O'Neill, whose broadside returned to winning ways aft a 5-1 conclusion by Spain connected Saturday.

"His cognition to nan crippled is possibly his biggest attribute, he conscionable loves to play.

"He trains that for illustration that, he ever trains astatine his maximum and I deliberation astatine times nan different younger players provender disconnected that."

While predominantly a right-back for his nine successful nan Premier League, O'Neill has utilized Bradley further guardant successful caller games and said he has moreover considered deploying him arsenic a cardinal midfielder.

"Conor has demonstrated nan expertise and nan versatility to play beautiful overmuch anyplace down nan correct broadside but nan harm he did [against Andorra] is erstwhile he arrived successful cardinal areas.

"As you tin see, erstwhile he gets successful nan container nan timing of his runs and his finishing is great. I deliberation he could astir apt play arsenic an eight. We had discussed that.

"I deliberation there's definite games where, if we played pinch a midfield three, he'd beryllium suited to play arsenic a correct eight."

In a crippled played successful beforehand of conscionable 400 supporters successful nan Estadio Nueva Condomina, Northern Ireland fans urged Bradley to sprout whenever and wherever he picked up nan shot successful nan 2nd half, hoping to spot Northern Ireland's first hat-trick since David Healy against Liechtenstein successful March 2007.

He did travel close, hitting 1 effort against nan goalkeeper from adjacent range, but O'Neill would return him disconnected aft 75 minutes.

"He was disappointed I took him disconnected but I'm protecting him successful that broadside of things," added nan manger.

"There's thing astir getting successful those positions and taking chances. We had different chances successful nan crippled that we should person done amended from. 

"We had bully opportunities and it's not easy against a squad that conscionable foul you, truthful galore fouls that were not punished appropriately. 

"The crippled sewage stop-start then, but we didn’t get frustrated.”

Nottingham Forest defender Aaron Donnelly made his world debut arsenic a second-half replacement, pursuing connected from St Mirren midfielder Caolan Boyd-Munce who won his first headdress against Spain past week.

West Ham guardant Callum Marshall, who created Bradley's opening extremity and had a bully opportunity astatine nan extremity of nan first half, was making his first commencement for Northern Ireland.

“Overall, I deliberation it was a bully workout for us," said O'Neill.

"At 2-0 we were comfortable successful nan game. We scored 2 bully goals and we astir apt should person scored more, if we're honest. We were a spot disappointed we didn't get a extremity successful nan 2nd half.

“These lads are astatine nan commencement of their careers and we are trying to thief them and show they tin play world football.

“It tin beryllium difficult to break done astatine apical clubs and immoderate players are connected loans. We tin assistance them truthful they tin play arsenic precocious a level arsenic possible, but nan cardinal for america was to springiness players opportunities and they person sewage caps."