Conor Bradley suffers heartbreak as coach hails character of young team

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Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesConor BradleyMichael O'Neill believes his young Northern Ireland team will only be better for the experience after a 2-0 defeat to Italy in a World Cup semifinal playoff in Bergamo on TuesdayConor Bradley will not play at this year's World Cup(Image: Getty Images)Michael O'Neill reckons his youthful Northern Ireland squad will emerge stronger from the experience following a 2-0 loss to Italy in a World Cup semi-final play-off in Bergamo.That means Conor Bradley's dream of playing in the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is over. The Liverpool star, who is Northern Ireland's captain, missed Thursday's game due to the season-ending injury he sustained against Arsenal in January.Bradley is not expected to play for Liverpool again this season, but it was unclear whether he would be fit for the World Cup.

The 22-year-old, who is aiming to be Trent Alexander-Arnold's long-term successor at Anfield, will now focus on getting fit for preseason.READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp opens up on Liverpool return after touching down in ManchesterREAD MORE: Mohamed Salah receives offer for 'one last dance' with former Liverpool teammateO'Neill had acknowledged that the team is progressing faster than anticipated at this juncture, and there was certainly no disgrace in falling to an Azzurri outfit they managed to frustrate during a nervy opening period at the New Balance Arena."I couldn't ask any more from the players, I thought our game plan in the first half was excellent," said the 56-year-old, who was missing key figures, including Bradley and Daniel Ballard, for the pivotal game."We limited Italy to very few chances in the first half. Ultimately, in the second half, we caused our own problems.Michael O'Neill is proud of his players(Image: Getty Images)"We had a couple of nervous moments before the first goal.

But I thought our attitude throughout was terrific."It's a very young team, I think the average age is 22 years of age, so it is incredibly positive for us to come here, against a team like Italy, and take them to the 90th minute before they feel they're safe."We only had one player out there over the age of 24, and that says a lot."We showed great character. I thought all the younger players were terrific in the game."Regardless of the result, we took a step forward in terms of the progress of the team."It's very difficult to come away here to Italy, especially with the players we had missing."It feels raw now, but the team has developed."Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Conor BradleyLiverpool FC