Stefan Bajcetic Ruled Out for Season with Abductor Injury

There haven’t been many bright spots in an up and down 2022-23 season, but one of the biggest ones has been the emergence of 19-year-old Stefan Bajcetic, who has impressed in both the six and eight since the turn of the calendar year.

Now, though, Bajcetic has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to abductor injury, with the player taking to social media to confirm the news—and his disappointment, though he says the setback will only make him stronger in the long-run.

“Unfortunately I’ve picked up an injury that will keep me out until the end of the season,” he said. “It’s very sad to say goodbye to this amazing season for me but I understand this is part of football and will only make me stronger physically and mentally.”

Manager Jürgen Klopp touched on Bajcetic’s injury before Wednesday’s loss to Real Madrid, noting while the injury itself was relatively minor the timeline for his return was uncertain. That it’s season-ending, then, is an unfortunate development.

“With Stefan it’s a stress response, which is absolutely bad,” Klopp said ahead of the match. “He doesn’t feel a lot, it’s only a little bit, but he is out for I don’t know exactly how long. We have just to let it settle and we will see when he can come back.”

The good news for Klopp and Liverpool is that with their next league match against Fulham postponed, they don’t play again until after the international break, at which point Thiago is expected to be fit and available for selection once again.