The arrival of Arne Slot at Liverpool grants every player at Anfield a blank canvas, with those who didn’t feature much under Jurgen Klopp perhaps sensing an opportunity to play a major part in the new era on Merseyside.
The 2023/24 season was effectively a write-off for Stefan Bajcetic, who only made three first-team appearances all term as a calf injury and back troubles hampered his progress.
However, as reported by Gregg Evans for The Athletic, the 19-year-old is determined to ‘hit the ground running’ for the forthcoming campaign and has been working on his fitness throughout the summer.
The journalist shared a link to the article via X, stating that the Spanish youngster is ‘excited to work for Slot’ and ‘wants to fight for his place’ at Anfield despite attracting plenty of transfer interest.
Fit & fired up The extent of his "growing pains" Relief at not needing surgery Excited to work for Slot Transfer interest but wants to fight for his place@TheAthletichttps://t.co/kqad4IQM08
Bajcetic’s breakthrough during the 2022/23 season was one of the few positives from a hugely disappointing campaign for Liverpool, with the teenager excelling in the Merseyside derby and making 19 appearances by May, even starting in a Champions League clash against Real Madrid at Anfield.
The aforementioned injury problems have effectively forced him to start all over again, although pre-season offers an ideal window of opportunity for him to not only build up match fitness but also make an impression on Slot ahead of the competitive action getting underway in mid-August.
The one advantage that he has now compared to two years ago is that he’s somewhat proven at a high level following his senior outings for the Reds in the campaign before last, and he need only look at Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley for two prime examples of players who emerge from the academy ranks to become first-team regulars.
The number of minutes he accrues in pre-season, along with the performances that he gives, should go some way towards determining how much of a part he’s likely to play for Liverpool over the next 12 months, and whether or not he’d be best served by going out on loan.
If Bajcetic can pull through without a recurrence of his injury woes and reach the same levels that he showed in the winter and spring of 2023, he stands every chance of playing a valuable role for the Reds in 2024/25.
