Jurgen Klopp has suggested that Stefan Bajcetic could be about to get his first Premier League start for Liverpool.
The youngster has been a breakout star for the Reds this season. And after an impressive display against Wolves on Tuesday, Klopp was asked in his pre-match press conference whether Bajcetic was ‘in his thoughts’ to face Chelsea tomorrow.
“He [Bajcetic] was for a while already, he was injured for two games. He’s in my thoughts, you can’t be closer to a team than be always in the squad, coming on, stuff like this, he was only not in the squad twice I think because he was injured,” said the manager.
Asked whether he was aiming to take it slow with Bajcetic’s development, Klopp was dismissive. “It doesn’t look like we have to be careful [with his development],” he said.
Only a matter of time for Bajcetic
Despite Klopp’s words, it would still be a surprise to see Bajcetic line up against Chelsea tomorrow.
Based on form alone, you’d have to say that the 18-year-old would deserve it, though. He was exceptional by and large against Wolves and generally has been all season.
But tomorrow is a different beast. At home against a side having an even worse season than them, Liverpool really need to win.
Fabinho has shown shoots of recovery with his form since the World Cup break. He should still be Klopp’s go-to for big games like these.
Perform poorly though, and the Brazilian’s place in the team should be seriously under threat from Bajcetic.
Regardless, a first Premier League start is surely only a matter of time away for Bajcetic. Having done so well against Wolves midweek, maybe Klopp will feel February’s trip to Molineux is the right time to do that.
In the meantime, he’ll benefit greatly from training with and learning from the likes of Thiago Alcantara, as well as Fabinho himself.
There’s certainly no rush for Stefan. But every so often a young player comes along who simply demands to be playing in the first team. It’s early stages, but the Spaniard is looking like that kind of prospect.
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