Liverpool man loved by Jurgen Klopp in loan hell and teammates are baffled why he's still playing
Today at 09:04 AM
Liverpool loanee Stefan Bajcetic's nightmare start to life at RB Salzburg shows no signs of improvement.
The 19-year-old secured a season-long loan switch to the Austrian giants this summer, joined Jurgen Klopp's former assistant and new Salzburg head coach Pep Lijnders.
Bajcetic was hampered by injury last season, making just three appearances after breaking into the first-team picture under Klopp 12-months earlier.
New Reds boss Arne Slot gave the midfielder the green light for the move to Salzburg in hope of gaining much-needed game time and continued development under Lijnders.
However, it has not exactly been a smooth transition to life at the Red Bull Arena for the young Spaniard who joined the club alongside fellow Reds academy graduate Bobby Clark.
Whilst both players have struggled to make an impact in Austria, Bajcetic has been the target for criticism from his new teammates.
Austrian outlet Kronen Zeitung claim that some figures within the dressing room are ‘astonished’ at Lijnders' starting line-ups, more specifically, the inclusion of Bajcetic.
The Spaniard has been selected for the last three games but was singled out for criticism over his performance in Sunday's 5-0 defeat to Sturm Graz.
The newspaper was handed a brutal 1/10 rating for his display alongside nine other teammates and was described as ‘looking like a foreign body in the six’.
Clark, who is yet to start a game, was given the same score despite playing just 33 minutes as a substitute.
Bajcetic's difficult start to life in Austria shows no signs of letting up after being fined for turning up to training late prior to last week's 4-0 Champions League defeat at home to French side Brest.
Lijnders was brought in to wrestle the Austrian title back from Sturm Graz who were crowned champions at Salzburgs expense last season.
However, Sunday's drubbing indicates Salzburg are a little further behind the reigning champions than first feared with Lijnders side sitting in fifth place and six-point adrift of the leaders.
It has not been the start to life Lijnders would have hoped for in what is just his second managerial role following a short stint in charge of NEC Nijmegen in 2018.
Salzburg has lost both of their opening Champions League games without registering a goal, the first of which being a 3-0 defeat at Sparta Prague.
Things are marginally better in the Austrian Bundesliga with 13 points on the board from seven league games.
Following Sunday's drubbing at title rival Sturm Graz, Lijnders said: “Sturm were better in every moment of the game. If we learn from today’s experience, it will be a good season then we can take steps forward. Otherwise not.
“After the defeat against Rapid and the clear defeat in Prague, we have suffered a breakdown," the former Liverpool assistant added. "We have lost confidence, and instability has set in. We simply have to defend better in the last line.”
