Liverpool youngster Stefan Bajcetic has thanked Thiago Alcantara for the help he’s given him so far this season.
Bajcetic has been one of the brightest spots of a poor campaign for Liverpool this time around. An academy player at the start of the season, the 18-year-old has slotted seamlessly into first team football.
Unfazed by some of the star names in the Reds squad, Bajcetic told The Times that one of them has actually been a huge, huge support to him – Thiago.
“Since I came here, since I trained that first day, I have always talked to him [Thiago],” said the teenager. “I’m Spanish, so I wanted to speak and he has been helping me a lot. He has been massive for me, to give me confidence. He introduced me to the other players and I am learning a lot from his game. It is all so good.”
Bajcetic learning from the best
Is it any wonder Bajcetic has been so impressive in a Liverpool shirt so far? When you’re learning from a maestro such as Thiago, how can you not pick up some moves.
And pick up some moves he has. You need only watch how the young Spaniard turns out of trouble on a football pitch to know that Thiago is rubbing off on him.
There is something in the way Bajcetic fires in those vertical passes that is reminiscent of the 31-year-old as well.
Of course, Liverpool’s No.47 still has a long, long way to go before he can be put in the same bracket as Thiago. But the raw materials are there for Jurgen Klopp to work with.
For Klopp, and for Liverpool supporters, that’s incredibly exciting. If Bajcetic is already a fixture in the Liverpool midfield at barely eighteen, just imagine the level he can reach at twenty-two or twenty-five.
Clearly, there’s no rush. But with the Reds looking to overhaul their midfield this summer, there’s a big opportunity for young Stefan to be a central part of that.
It remains to be seen just how long Thiago sticks around at Anfield to accompany his young compatriot. Just like their fathers before them though, the two are teammates for now, and Bajcetic is all the better for it.