Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been told by former Reds defender Mark Lawrenson that he has “the future” in young star Stefan Bajcetic. And the ex-Match of the Day pundit has even tipped the 18-year-old Spaniard to replace Curtis Jones in midfield.
“Curtis Jones has played well this season, but I think him and Diogo Jota are both replaceable,” Lawrenson told Paddy Power. “It’s an interesting one as to who’s going to come in, maybe the kid Stefan Bajcetic. He’s not had too much football, but they rate him really highly.
“Obviously Jurgen Klopp’s got Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, but it’s a really good question. Klopp’s chucked Cody Gakpo in there before but I don’t see him playing as a midfield player at Brighton [on Sunday] like he did at the start of the season because Brighton are so cute with their passing. I personally would play Bajcetic, I really would. I think he’s very much the future.”
Bajcetic was handed his Premier League debut at the start of last season and was given a run of games in the New Year as Klopp attempted to solve his midfield woes. But the player subsequently suffered an adductor injury in March, which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.
Bajcetic returned to action during pre-season but hasn’t made it onto the pitch in the Premier League yet this time around. The teenager did, however, start Liverpool’s opening Europa League clash of the season at LASK last month before coming off the bench against Leicester in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
Bajcetic will be hoping to gain more playing time as the season goes on, with Liverpool aiming to compete for silverware on all fronts. And the youngster has insisted he is learning every day from his more experienced team-mates.
“Alexis [Mac Allister] we knew the most because he had already played in the Premier League with Brighton and I have played against him,” Bajcetic told Liverpool’s matchday programme as he spoke about his team’s summer signings.
“It is really easy to adapt to playing with players like him and Dom [Szoboszlai], who is really good. They have given us a boost, for sure, and this is the highest level of football so you can always learn from the others, especially in my position in the midfield.
“Players like Thiago always try to help me and every day I feel like I’m learning something different. At my age you need to get more experience and I get that here, especially training with these players. I learn a bit every day and even when you’re off the pitch you can still learn things. You mature as a person and that is important as well.”
