admin
BIRMINGHAM. — “Cheeky as hell” and a first senior goal on December 26 — Jurgen Klopp described Spanish teenager Stefan Bajcetic’s impact for Liverpool as “like a Christmas story”.
The 18-year-old restored Liverpool’s two-goal advantage two minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 3-1 win at Aston Villa on Monday night in their first English Premiership football match since the World Cup break.
It was only his seventh senior appearance for the club and he has played a total of just 189 minutes across those games. So, just who is Bajcetic?
Spanish teenager Bajcetic joined Liverpool from his hometown club Celta Vigo in November 2021, signing his first professional contract with the English Premier League side at the age of 17.
Football runs in his family, with his father, Srdan Bajcetic, representing Serbia at international level.
At Celta his ability was clear and, able to play in both defence and midfield, the versatile Bajcetic occasionally stepped up to the Under-23s after making his Under-18s debut while still an Under-16 player.
Now, a year on from his move to Merseyside, he has a first English Premier League goal — which arrived after a total of 23 minutes of English Premier League action — having already become the youngest player to ever appear for the Reds in the Champions League when he featured in September’s group-stage win over Ajax.
Speaking to Amazon Prime following his side’s victory over Aston Villa on Monday, Klopp said of Bajcetic:
“He’s cheeky as hell and he is not worried about anything.
“He just plays football and he can do that exceptionally well.
“He had a football-playing father, so the genes are there but also the attitude, awareness and match intelligence. It’s a big pleasure to work with these boys.” — BBC Sport
Online Reporter