Another INJURY blow for Liverpool

Liverpool have been quite fickle in regard to injuries this season.

By and large, the team has been unaffected, but a couple of players have picked up knocks out of nowhere and the fortunate position the club finds itself in is one they are well aware of.

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Last season, one injury quickly turned into two and at this point last season, the Reds had a full-blown crisis on their hands. This time around, the situation is different, but things could all change in an instant.

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The past week for one Liverpool player in particular has typified that sentiment. After being allowed to start a couple of games, and subsequently finding his rhythm again, he is now sidelined once again.

One step forward, two steps back for Stefan Bajcetic

Bajcetic's start to life as a professional footballer has been incredibly frustrating. From finding fortune with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in the 2022-23 season to spending the entirety of the 2023-24 season out with a calf injury, to problematic loan spells this season, it's been tough.

He's missed 80 games with injury across the last three seasons, leading to Liverpool sending him on loan for this campaign to build his fitness up before assessing whether he would fit well in Arne Slot's first-team squad.

But the five months he spent at RB Salzburg this season, largely under the management of former Liverpool assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders, were troublesome, as he battled hard to get minutes on the pitch and the lack of regular appearances meant his performances often failed to meet the mark.

The Austrian side's overall poor form also meant that the environment that he was developing in was far from optimal. As such, Liverpool cut his loan spell short last month in favour of sending him to Spain to feature for Las Palmas until the season concludes.

But just two games into time there, and having delivered some impressive performances that fans were vocally appreciative of, he is now injured again with another calf injury - which could prove to be serious given his history.

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Against Villarreal, before the injury occurred, the Spaniard was able to create a chance, win seven of his 11 duels, make four recoveries and three accurate long balls, alongside putting in two tackles.

For a 20-year-old who has been short of minutes so far this season, that is an impressive display and after managing to stay fit up until this point, this latest injury might prove to be a killer blow to both his confidence and his long-term future, depending on the severity of the injury.

Liverpool admire Bajcetic and it was Arne Slot's decision at the start of the season to loan him out, with the intention of him getting up to speed before being tested at Liverpool again.

Speaking via Paul Joyce for The Times, Slot said in August 2024: "I hope it will be a big year for him because he’s a very talented player and I think he could become a very important player for us, but only if he gets playing time now."

In regard to the Salzburg move, he added: "This club has been smart, in my opinion, for not only looking for the short term but also the long term. It’s a smart decision, at least in our opinion, to let him go somewhere, where he will hopefully play a lot of games.

“Then for next season, we’ll have a player. If he fulfils his potential, could definitely, definitely play for us in the future.”

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Liverpool will hope that his time on the sidelines at Las Palmas will be limited so that he can continue his development and come back to Merseyside in the summer ready to challenge for a spot in the team, but unless his unrelenting injury troubles clear up, his progress will continue to go backwards.

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