Liverpool supporters take great pride in their club's development of young players and keep a keen eye on their progress as they come up through the ranks.
Liverpool started with Curtis Jones in the line-up against Manchester United in their latest Premier League fixture, with teenager Rio Ngumoha coming off the bench in an attempt to win a match the Reds went on to lose.
Harvey Elliott, locked in an unhappy loan spell at Aston Villa, is one player whose fortunes are being watched closely by Liverpool fans with a degree of intrigue and uncertainty, and the same can be said of another highly-rated prospect whose career has stalled because of a lengthy absence from the Anfield picture.
Two years ago, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp introduced Stefan Bajcetic from the bench in a Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur, bringing to an end the young Spaniard's spell on the sidelines due to 'growth-related injuries'.
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It was Bajcetic's 12th league appearance for Liverpool and he hasn't played for them since.
After loans with Red Bull Salzburg and Las Palmas, he suffered a hamstring injury that required surgery and he hasn't been seen on a football pitch since he appeared for Las Palmas against Sevilla in May 2025.
Bajcetic's progress has largely been kept under wraps, but a fresh update has revealed a bump in the road back to contention in the early part of 2026.
'Bajcetic is still working in the gym as part of his rehabilitation, following a setback in his recovery earlier in the year,' according to This Is Anfield.
'He is not understood to have returned to outdoor work at the AXA Training Centre as of yet, even with individual sessions, and he is not close to rejoining team training.'
Bajcetic has struggled to avoid injury throughout his young career
The 21-year-old is yet to feature under Arne Slot, Klopp's successor, but his performances in between injuries offered enough positivity for supporters to root for a return to action for a player of significant potential. He's contracted to Liverpool for another season.
"Calf, back and hamstring issues have plagued Bajcetic in [his] time away and it has often been the case that, just as a comeback seemed on the horizon, the pain returned and his programme needed to be scaled back," reports This Is Anfield.
Bajcetic made a combined total of 33 appearances in all competitions for Salzburg and Las Palmas.
His injury problems have also interrupted his international career after he made his Spain Under-21 debut in the autumn of 2023.
Topics: Liverpool
Chris Nee