Liverpool youth coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson has lauded Stefan Bajcetic’s attitude and potential after the teenager made his debut in Saturday’s 9-0 win against Bournemouth - adding that there is ‘a lot more to come’.
The Spaniard came on for Jordan Henderson in the 70th minute at Anfield last weekend, becoming the youngest non-English player to feature for the Reds at 17 years and 309 days, with Bobby Clark also making his debut the same day.
Originally brought in as a centre-back from Celta Vigo, the teenager’s composure in possession and positional intelligence allowed those in charge of youth development to explore a new midfield role. And one of those coaches - under-18s boss Bridge-Wilkinson - has lifted the lid on their decision to move the young talent further forward and predicted that Reds fans will see plenty more in the future.
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“We’ve worked a lot with him on playing that position,” Bridge-Wilkinson told the Athletic . “I sat down with (academy manager) Alex Inglethorpe and we talked about it. It was an avenue we decided to look at and so far so good.
“It’s all about attributes. Stefan is a very gifted footballer. He’s a good passer of the ball and he’s very good at winning possession back. Positional changes at that kind of age are quite common. As a player develops, it’s about assessing where you believe his qualities are going to be most effective.
“It’s about maximising a boy’s potential. Playing him in what area of the pitch is going to give him the best chance of succeeding? You also want to give them as many strings to their bows as possible to increase their chances of playing with the big boys.
“I haven’t been surprised by how well he’s done because I know what he’s capable of. He has top potential. Has it come sooner than we thought for him? Possibly, but as a young player, you always have to be ready to grasp your chance.
“He’s got a great attitude and I know he’ll keep giving everything. We all know there’s a lot more to come from him.”
Bajcetic has been named on the bench for Liverpool’s clash with Newcastle United this evening.
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