Stefan Bajcetic offers 'honest' verdict on Arne Slot with insight into new Liverpool head coach

Having spent almost the whole of last season out injured aside from a couple of sporadic appearances, it could be a big year ahead for Liverpool teenager Stefan Bajcetic .

Signed from Celta Vigo as someone who had primarily been seen as a center-back in Spain, the now-19-year-old burst onto the senior scene as a holding midfielder under Jurgen Klopp in the campaign before last. What followed, however, was a difficult spell in which he was forced to sit out almost the entirety of 2023/24.

Now fully back fit again and with a new head coach in Arne Slot , Bajcetic is looking to kick on again. While the Reds will need to carefully manage his fitness and not put too much pressure on him, the number 43 is a huge talent.

READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Iris Law smitten as Liverpool ace snapped on romantic Barbados holiday
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Brais Mendez move, Wataru Endo replacement, Victor Osimhen chance

Bajcetic has all the skills required to make himself a mainstay of the new-look Liverpool team under Slot and he has been impressed with his new boss far since the Dutchman arrived at Anfield . Things are different compared with what the Reds' roster is used to but Bajcetic says the whole team was prepared.

"We were ready for that," Bajcetic told the Reds' official website . "With a new manager, it was always going to be a different system and different things, so we were ready for it. Physically, it has been quite hard, to be honest, multiple sessions. But that will only make us better at the end, so it’s good."

Many of the Liverpool roster have been enjoying some table tennis competitions during their downtime in the USA. Bajcetic is among the best but he says Kaide Gordon also deserves to be recognized for his efforts.

"I could be [one of the best] on my day!" he joked. "But not always. Kaide sometimes is there as well; there’s a couple of players that are good. I used to be better I think, but now with injury, I’ve been off for a couple of years."

Liverpool.com says: Bajcetic is a massive talent and it's going to be hugely exciting to see what Slot can do with him. As far as technically gifted holding midfielders go, he has everything you need to go to the very top. Bajcetic will need to be managed fitness-wise but he can be a short and long-term solution for the Reds at the base of their midfield.