Liverpool approached the recent victory over Luton Town in the Premier League with the knowledge that ceding ground in the title race could be detrimental, Arsenal and Manchester City snapping at the first-placed side's heels.
Firing on all cylinders, normally Anfield would have welcomed the relegation-threatened Hatters with unwavering confidence, but Jurgen Klopp's side were threadbare, a spate of injuries ravaging the squad.
Key talisman Mohamed Salah had aggravated an injury after an emphatic return at the weekend against Brentford, with Darwin Nunez also tweaking his hamstring.
Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones, more seriously, suffered injuries that will keep them out of action for a longer period, compounding an already-bloated list of absentees.
And despite a dour opening, Liverpool prevailed to keep their title challenge churning, thanks in no small part to the talented youth fold that is stretching their influence into the senior set-up.
The likes of Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott started, while 18-year-old forward Jayden Danns made a big contribution on his professional debut off the bench.
Liverpool's "special" £4m star is now worth 1175% more
Jurgen Klopp has shaped this rising talent into one of the Premier League’s most exciting prospects.
ByAngus Sinclair
All talented players, immensely so, but possibly the brightest star from the Reds' academy ranks wasn't in on the action. Indeed, Stefan Bajcetic, scarcely involved this season, might just be the cream of the crop.
The fee Liverpool paid for Stefan Bajcetic
Spain U21 international Bajcetic has actually been on Liverpool's books since December 2020, when he was snapped up from his homeland club Celta Vigo for just £224k as a 16-year-old, beating fiery rivals Manchester United to his signature.
Alex Otero, youth coordinator at Celta Vigo, detailed the midfielder's skill set to The Athletic back in 2021, revealing that Liverpool indeed held one of Europe's most talented teenagers in their grasp.
He said: “He has amazing physical characteristics. He is extremely quick, makes good recoveries, has a great spring, is really impressive in the air and carries the ball cleanly out of defence.”
Most Liverpool supporters were unaware at this stage, but after 33 appearances for the club's respective development sides, he was unleashed last season as Klopp sought to manage a shocking collapse, Liverpool's midfield sapped and defence bereft of confidence.
He exceeded expectations.
Stefan Bajcetic's 2022/23 season in numbers
Bajcetic was handed his Premier League debut before his 18th birthday back in August 2022, coming off the bench as Anfield swallowed Bournemouth up and spat the Cherries out on the back of a chastening 9-0 defeat.
His maiden outing at such a young age spoke of the exciting innate ability and evident glowing praise that had been fed to Klopp as he went from strength to strength at youth level, but it wasn't until the festive period that he was handed a second chance to impress – and boy did he take it.
Liverpool were struggling and desperately needed to defeat Aston Villa at Villa Park in the first league match following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with a refreshing 3-1 victory cherry-topped by Bajcetic's surge and finish in the late stage.
Thus paved the way for a brilliant run in the first-team, shining as his senior peers surrounding him toiled, completing the season with 11 appearances in the Premier League, notably completing 79% of his passes and succeeding with 64% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.
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Player
Opponent
Age
1.
Michael Owen
Wimbledon
17y 143d
2.
Raheem Sterling
Reading
17y 317d
3.
Stefan Bajcetic
Aston Villa
18y 65d
4.
Robbie Fowler
Oldham Athletic
18y 190d
5.
Jamie Carragher
Aston Villa
18y 356d
Unfortunately, Bajcetic, now aged 19, picked up an adductor injury in his thigh last March and missed the remainder of the campaign, though his contribution in stabilising the midfield was vital to the late-season revival that salvaged something from a wretched year.
He returned fleetingly in the early stage of the current campaign to make two displays, starting Liverpool's Europa League opener and coming off the bench against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, but he has missed the majority of the season due to fitness issues, believed to be on an individual program as his body continues to grow.
Stefan Bajcetic's current market value
Described as a "special" talent by journalist Zubin Daver, the young Spaniard continues to recuperate but will be back soon, endowed with the talent and physical development to become a key figure in Klopp's system.
As such, despite injury, his current market value now stands at €10m (£9m), according to CIES Football Observatory, which marks a staggering 3917% increase from that initial bargain fee.
While he's not the main attraction at Anfield right now as far as the youth is concerned – that tag lies with Bradley, who posted a goal and five assists from right-back in January and was crowned the PFA Fan's Premier League Player of the Month – his brilliant efforts last season highlighted his calibre.
He is also still younger than his 20-year-old teammate, who is also valued at just €5m (£4m), as per CIES.
It is disappointing that Bajcetic has not been able to strut his stuff this season, but taking this prudent approach to his nurturement and development is the perfect way to go about it.
This time last year, Liverpool were struggling. At present, Klopp has revived Anfield in all its glory, and while he is draping the curtain on his illustrious tenure, the bodywork for a golden new chapter is intact, firmly so.
The stones are in place, and Bajcetic will soon be performing at the beating heart of Liverpool's team, surpassing the myriad prospects peppering Merseyside in red.