Jurgen Klopp will know that Liverpool need a miracle if we want to try and book our place in the semi-final of the Europa League and that could mean he calls upon a certain teenager.

The presence of Stefan Bajcetic in the open training session could mean that the midfielder makes his second Europa League appearance of the campaign.

READ MORE: (Video) What David James said this morning about Liverpool after Palace hurt is telling

With the 19-year-old returning to action for the Under-21s at Old Trafford, there could be a case to provide some minutes in Italy too.

It’ll be interesting to see how much of a role the Spaniard plays in this campaign, ahead of a crucial pre-season for him.

You can watch footage of Bajcetic in Liverpool training (from 2:09) via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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Stefan Bajcetic has played less than 90 minutes in the past year for the first-team and his injury absence has been long and grueling for the midfielder.

Thankfully though, a return to fitness is a lot closer with the 19-year-old performing for 30 minutes in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United for the U21s in Premier League 2.

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Highlights of the Spaniard’s performance in Manchester have already circulated online and should excite our supporters.

We’ve still got a lot of football to play before the campaign ends and the return of this academy graduate could provide a big boost in the short and long term.

You can watch Bajcetic’s highlights courtesy of LFC TV (via @cnsultra on X):

Welcome back Stefan Bajcetic pic.twitter.com/FNdMnGlxuW

— N. (@cnsultra) April 12, 2024

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There’s an argument to be made that Liverpool’s substitutes’ bench for tonight’s Europa League clash against Atalanta is as interesting, perhaps even more so, than the starting XI.

Mo Salah, Luis Diaz, Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai are among the standout players who drop out of the line-up for this game, and three other names among the subs will also catch the eye.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota and Stefan Bajcetic all return to the matchday squad tonight after lengthy injury absences, with the former two having not played since mid-February and the latter sidelined since September 2023.

Team news is in for tonight's #UEL clash with Atalanta

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 11, 2024

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Jurgen Klopp will ideally want to ease that trio back into the team rather than throwing them in at the deep end straight away, but their mere presence among the substitutes will have Liverpool fans rejoicing.

The dream scenario for the manager is that the Reds will be in a strong enough position by 70-75 minutes to be able to bring on the likes of Trent, Jota and Bajcetic to get some game-time into their legs ahead of forthcoming fixtures.

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Atalanta will be striving to ensure that isn’t the case, but even if this fixture comes a small bit too soon to give that trio a few minutes of action, their inclusion in the matchday squad illustrates that they’re fit enough to potentially be involved tonight.

With so many crucial games coming up in such a short timespan for Liverpool, Klopp will be mightily relieved to finally have a near fully-fit squad at his disposal after an injury crisis a few weeks ago which threatened to cripple our season but thankfully hasn’t.

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Whatever deity, primal or universal force has guided humanity from humble beginnings to kicking a bag of air about on a pitch has given with both hands when it comes to Ibou Konate.

The Frenchman has it all: Talent, potential, looks, a cracking personality and a sense of humour that has endeared him to millions of Liverpool fans.

The former RB Leipzig defender had goalkeeping coach Claudio Taffarel chuckling with his reaction as Stefan Bajcetic (19) demonstrated his handiness with a basketball.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of LFCTV (via @drwnunez):

ibou is so reactionary mannn pic.twitter.com/IJsi11JquR

— hae (@drwnunez) April 9, 2024

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It was a press conference full of injury updates from Jurgen Klopp but the manager has confirmed that he’s got a different plan for one man.

Speaking before the game with Atalanta, the German provided an update on Stefan Bajcetic: “Stefan is different a little bit because he was out for much longer, but he is now training with us for longer as well.

“But I think after the long spell he had without playing football it makes sense that we might give him a game at U21s and then let’s see how he deals with that.”

READ MORE: (Video) Klopp ‘100%’ promises more minutes to his ‘incredible talent’

It’s probably a good idea to allow the midfielder to take some time before making a first-team return, after less than 90 minutes played in the last year.

Let’s hope a patient approach will mean we see more of the 19-year-old, a consistent basis, in the coming weeks, months and years.

You can watch Klopp’s comments on Bajcetic (from 19:45) via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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Stefan Bajcetic would have earmarked this season as one where he could make his mark on the Liverpool team but with just one start to his name, it’s been far from that.

As reported by Paul Joyce for The Times, there has been a new update on his condition: ‘Klopp has also been waiting on being able to call on 19-year-old Stefan Bajcetic again.

‘The midfielder has made only two appearances this season, both back in September, due to growing pains but has been increasing his workload in training in recent weeks.’

READ MORE: Paul Joyce provides Ben Doak injury update as Liverpool prepare for title charge

An ‘increasing workload’ doesn’t really spell out when we’re likely to see the midfielder back on the pitch again but it does seem to show some indication that things are heading in the right direction.

Jurgen Klopp himself has previously admitted confusion as to why the Spanish youth international has been missing for so long but the wait will go on.

Following an injury at Bournemouth last March, the 19-year-old has made just one start (and one substitute appearance) in over a year.

READ MORE: Paul Joyce reveals important role Liverpool coach played in Jordan Henderson transfer

This is an unprecedented absence and makes it increasingly unlikely that we’ll see the Celta Vigo academy graduate again in this campaign.

Competition is likely to be tough by time our No.43 returns for pre-season under a new boss and the teenager will have a big job on his hands to get first team football.

We’ve seen that he has enough talent in order to do so and let’s hope he can make his mark.

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Liverpool fans will be aware that, as long as our issues don’t increase in the next couple of games, our injured players should start returning at the end of the international break.

Some of these stricken men have been spotted training away from the first-team, as their return to action seemingly edges closer.

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Footage on Sky Sports confirmed that both Ibou Konate and Stefan Bajcetic are on the grass, though it was confirmed the midfielder still seems some way off a full return.

This could mean that we see our No.5 involved in the squad against Manchester United in the FA Cup but certainly no assurances on this yet.

You can watch the report on Konate and Bajcetic via @SkyFootball on X:

An update from the Liverpool training ground ahead of their Europa League clash against Sparta Prague on Thursday pic.twitter.com/SysvqPDbXi

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 12, 2024

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Sadly neither Trent Alexander-Arnold nor Stefan Bajectic were available to play a part in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

That didn’t preclude them from watching the game as fans back home, with the pair sharing their delight with Darwin Nunez’s 99th-minute winner on their personal Instagram accounts.

The result sees the Merseysiders restore a four-point lead on Manchester City in the Premier League table having played a game more.

You can catch the images below, courtesy of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Stefan Bajcetic’s Instagram accounts:

[INSTAGRAM]

Trent Alexander-Arnold online #LFC pic.twitter.com/SLKE2ors4M

— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) March 2, 2024

Stefan Bajcetic on Instagram pic.twitter.com/nlgC2FXTDE

— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) March 2, 2024

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Stefan Bajcetic is almost the forgotten man of this Liverpool side and after being the standout academy star of last season, Jurgen Klopp doesn’t know what’s causing the prolonged absence.

Speaking with the press, the German said: “Stefan is, that’s one of these things. I had lunch here and so I’m training, I sat there and thought, ‘why is he not playing!?’

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“So, he’s obviously gaining fitness now, he’s running around like, wow.

“He’s doing everything but not yet, he didn’t get the green light yet for us for the team training and there’s nobody in this building who wants to hold him back so there might be some reasons to it.

“He’s pain free, completely pain free, which is obviously the most important thing. All checks we made like scans again, bone looks good that’s all fine when he’s just doing the stuff he’s doing now.”

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It seems like everything is heading in the right direction but if the manager doesn’t know why the midfielder isn’t playing, it’s hard to know when we’ll see the 19-year-old make a comeback.

Given our current injury crisis, it would be great to have the former Celta Vigo teenager back but for now – the mysterious wait continues.

You can watch Klopp’s comments on Bajcetic (from 12:16) via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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Fulham are understood to have finally made their move for ex-Liverpool target Andre Trindade, submitting a £30m offer.

Ben Jacobs confirmed the news in question on X (formerly Twitter), following Jacque Talbot’s exclusive reveal for Football Transfers this morning.

Exclusive: Fulham have made a £30m+£5m offer to
Fluminense for midfielder Andre.

Fulham CEO Alistair Mackintosh already agreed terms with Andre last year having travelled for the Copa Libertadores Final. pic.twitter.com/Kkek2AEDZS

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) January 18, 2024

The Reds had been understood to have held talks with Fluminense in the summer, only to be rebuffed on their interest – at the time in the middle of the Brazilian top-flight season.

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Liverpool could end up saving money

Little did the fanbase know that both Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister would be fine options in the No.6 role – such to an extent that many bemoaned the former’s temporary absence for the Asian Cup this January.

But forget about the pair for just a moment, because one other Liverpool star could end up saving us quite a chunk of change.

Remember Stefan Bajcetic? Yes, that young lad who wowed us all in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign. Yes, that young lad Mo Salah claimed had been ‘our best player’ since he started featuring in the first-XI.

The £7.6m midfielder (according to Football Transfers’ valuation system), who only recently turned 19 in October, could still go on to have a terrific career once he’s fully recovered from his latest injury setback.

Could our reluctance to spend on yet another No.6 in the market be based partly on Endo’s success? Yes, of course.

Could Bajcetic’s extremely bright future also be a factor in the decision-making process? Why the hell not?

At any rate, if he can build on a terrific breakthrough campaign last year, we suspect he might end up saving the club quite the fortune.

Watch this space, Reds.

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It feels like years since we’ve had a fully fit Thiago Alcantara or Stefan Bajcetic in our team and it has now been confirmed that the wait will go on.

Speaking with the media about the pair, Pep Lijnders said: “They will not be ready for the end of this month. It will probably be going into the next month to train with us. But both [with] no complications, progressing.”

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Seeing as our No.6 had early hip surgery to miss the end of last season and make a swifter return for this campaign, this continued delay is painful.

If both men make a miraculous recovery to play for the Reds in February it will prove to be the first time in 10 months for the former Bayern Munich midfielder and the a second appearance in 11 months for the academy graduate.

You can watch Lijnders’ update on Thiago and Bajcetic (from 4:04) via BeanymanSports on YouTube:

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Liverpool fans will be very aware that we are dealing with several injury concerns at the moment but two players continue to be missing from action.

Thanks to the ‘Inside Training’ video on YouTube and from footage shared on the club’s website, we can see that both Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas are back on the grass in their comeback from injury.

However, the lack of Thiago Alcantara from any pictures or videos and Stefan Bajcetic only being spotted entering the building and in the canteen – we can expect their absence from action to continue.

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The latest update, as reported on liverpoolfc.com: ‘Thiago Alcantara: Thiago has been sidelined since requiring surgery on a hip issue that ruled him out of the final weeks of the 2022-23 campaign, and remains unavailable for selection.

‘Jürgen Klopp on December 29: “I think Thiago will be at one point in team training [in January]. Thiago is in a very good moment as well but we just have to make sure we don’t use him then too early. The hip thing in and around that area is just a long-term thing as well. There were for sure days where he could have easily trained but it’s all about how can he be back then in the long term, and that’s what we are working on.”

‘Stefan Bajcetic: Klopp on December 29: “With Stefan, if you ask Stefan how he feels, he says ‘good’. ‘Could you train?’ Yes, he could. It’s just we have to be sensible. That’s how it is. It’s a growing issue, it’s not growing [increasing] but because of his growing, his age and stuff like this. So we just have to be careful. He could train today fully and then maybe tomorrow as well and then not [for] five weeks. It’s a medical decision, it’s not by the boy, it’s not by me. It’s just that’s how you have to do it if something like this happens. And that makes it so annoying for the boy.”

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It’s not just annoying for the players but for the supporters too, as we’d like to see two of our most talented midfielders back on the pitch soon.

Given Wataru Endo’s participation in international football, it would have been great to have welcomed at least one of the stricken pair back for the FA Cup clush – instead though, the wait goes on.

You can watch the footage of Bajcetic in training (from 0:35) via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

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Jurgen Klopp has admitted one of his players currently sidelined through injury is frustrated with the situation.

Stefan Bajcetic is one of a number of Liverpool players who are currently unavailable as they spend time on the treatment table but the midfielder’s situation is a rather unique one.

Our German tactician has revealed that the 19-year-old is in a position to train but the Reds ‘have to be sensible’ and not rush his return to action.

The former Celta Vigo man has made just two appearances this term as a result of his calf injury and Klopp has explained the injury is partially doing to the teenager’s ‘growing’.

“With Stefan, if you ask how do you feel he says ‘good’. Can you train? ‘Yes’. But we have to be sensible, that’s how it is,” Klopp explained (as quoted by Rousing The Kop). “It’s an issue because of his growing. We have to be careful. He could train today fully, maybe tomorrow as well and then not for five weeks. That’s how it is.

“It’s a medical decision, it’s not by the boy, it’s not by me. It’s just that’s how you have to do it if something like this happens and that makes it so annoying for the boy.”

READ MORE: (Video) Huge boost: ‘Fantastic’ Liverpool midfielder spotted in training ahead of Newcastle clash

Bajcetic burst onto the scene at the start of last season and threw in a number of quality performances in the middle of the park.

Despite his tender age the Spain youth international is an extremely composed figure in the engine room and someone who impressed despite Liverpool’s struggles last term.

He made a total of 20 appearances across all competitions and this season looked set to be a big one for his development.

Injuries have prevented him from showing what he’s made of, however, but there remains excitement about his return.

It currently remains unclear as to when he will next be seen in a red shirt but we completely understand this is not something that should be rushed.

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Stefan Ba-che-tic? Bye-che-tic? Ba-sheh-tic?

The longstanding debate around how to pronounce Stefan Bajcetic’s name has finally been settled by the Premier League.

The Spanish-Serb popped up on X to confirm that his surname is pronounced as follows: bye-chet-itch.

Finally, now we can all breathe a sigh of relief and be safe in the knowledge that none of his will be butchering the pronunciation once our talented young holding midfielder makes a full return from injury.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of the Premier League’s X account:

How many names have you been saying wrong? pic.twitter.com/z6sb9uqEVf

— Premier League (@premierleague) November 22, 2023

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Jurgen Klopp faced the media ahead of our game against Toulouse and provided a fitness update on several members of the squad, including Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic.

In response to questions about both men, the German said: “No, not in team training.”

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It’s a worry that we still don’t have a concrete update on either midfielder at this stage, especially after both of them ended the last campaign early through injury and have not yet made a full return.

Given Alexis Mac Allister being handed the responsibility of holding the No.6 role, the return of either man would certainly help the manager at this time.

You can view the update on Thiago and Bajcetic (from 1:55) via BeanymanSports on YouTube:

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