'New signing' for Andoni Iraola exactly what Liverpool were missing under Arne Slot

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Stefan Bajcetic could hand Liverpool a major boost ahead of next season by returning to training earlier than expected. The midfielder has bene forced to deal with long-term fitness concerns that prevented the him from featuring for the Reds at all last season.

His most recent appearance, in fact, came under former manager Jurgen Klopp - a late substitute role in a 4-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur back in May 2024.

To pinpoint his last starting berth, you have to cast your mind back almost three years, to a 3-1 Europa League triumph over LASK in Austria , where he lined up at right-back before being withdrawn after an hour.

Bajcetic hasn't been handed a Premier League starting spot since March 2023, when he was forced off during a 1-0 defeat against Bournemouth just as his Reds career appeared to be genuinely gaining momentum.

Liverpool have now been handed a boost as they witnessed Bajcetic's return to the training pitch at the weekend, with the 21-year-old cutting short his summer break to get a head start on pre-season preparations as a pivotal stage of his career looms in the weeks ahead.

With Andoni Iraola describing his squad as all 'like new signings' to him, and the World Cup denying the new head coach of several key players during the United States tour, the timing could hardly be better for Bajcetic to seize his opportunity.

"Back on track," Bajcetic posted alongside pictures of himself at the AXA Training Centre on Saturday, working through a bespoke programme. Deliver a strong performance this summer, and he very well might be.

The former Celta Vigo youngster capitalised on a significant dip in Klopp's midfield options during the 2022/23 campaign, spending the second half of that season looking every inch a long-term asset with composed showings in standout fixtures such as the Merseyside derby and the away trip to Newcastle United.

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His ability to retain possession under pressure and his quality on the ball from deep midfield shone brightly for a time, as he looked to fulfil his considerable potential, having originally arrived as a centre-back for the academy setup aged 16.

That injury, an adductor tear sustained at the Vitality Stadium, has proved particularly damaging to his Liverpool career.

That match was his 19th appearance as a Red, yet his total now, more than three years later, sits at a mere 22.

Loan stints with Red Bull Salzburg and Las Palmas yielded mixed fortunes, and Bajcetic has quietly been grafting away behind closed doors at the AXA Training Centre, attempting to put a torrid few years firmly in the past following a succession of injury setbacks.

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The Spain Under-21 international made 19 appearances for Salzburg before making a mid-season return to his homeland with Las Palmas, after Pep Lijnders — who was pivotal in taking him to Austria — was dismissed shortly before Christmas .

Arne Slot delivered plenty of praise to Bajcetic before the midfielder left the club on loan, with the former Liverpool boss stating in August 2024: "I hope it will be a big year for him because he’s a very talented player because he’s been out for 15 months and I think he could become a very important player for us, only if he gets playing time now.

"If you are that young and you’ve been out for so long, the only thing you need is playing time. He could have playing time over here, but we’ve got six or seven very good midfielders, so his playing time here will always be more limited than we expect him to play at Salzburg.

"So for him, and us, we think it’s the best for him to play at the moment, instead of maybe play a few times and then be on the bench for a long time again. It’s very difficult to keep a player fit who’s been out for 15 months to only play him once in a while.

"So this is for the long term. Again, this club has been smart, in my opinion, in the past, 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."