Stefan Bajcetic has undergone surgery to correct another injury in a long list in his early career, which could impact his chances at Liverpool this summer.
Having spent the second half of last season playing a key role for Las Palmas, Bajcetic was expected to be given a chance under Arne Slot in pre-season.
But that may now be in doubt after it was revealed the 20-year-old underwent hamstring surgery at the end of May.
Bajcetic travelled to Finland to receive treatment from renowned surgeon Lasse Lempainen, who previously worked at the Aspetar hospital in Qatar.
Lempainen has a working relationship with Bournemouth and has operated on and overseen the return-to-play testing for a number of their players along with important surgeries for the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Reece James.
Hamstring surgery could mean months out
While the severity of Bajcetic’s issue is unclear, it was picked up in a 1-0 loss to Sevilla on May 13 ruled him out of the final two games of the season at Las Palmas.
After time spent to allow the injury to settle it was then decided surgery was the best course of action – and the likelihood is that the Spaniard is out for a number of months.
For example, Joe Gomez required surgery on his hamstring in February and was only back in contention for Liverpool by mid-May.
If the same applies to Bajcetic he would miss the entirety of pre-season, which had been slated as a chance for him to impress Slot after a mixed campaign out on loan.
Liverpool are due back for the start of their preparations for a title defence on the week commencing July 7, while their opening friendly away to Preston takes place on July 13.
Last week, The Athletic‘s James Pearce reported that the 20-year-old was attracting “plenty of interest” in a permanent transfer.
But even that could be impacted by any lengthy time on the sidelines, as clubs are unlikely to be willing to spend on a young player who will join in the midst of rehabilitation.
It is a familiar story for Bajcetic, unfortunately, having been blighted with injury and fitness issues since first breaking into Liverpool’s first team under Jurgen Klopp.
He made 21 appearances for the senior side in 2022/23, including a run of eight consecutive outings in the Premier League – six of which were starts – before suffering an adductor tear which ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
There is a concern that Klopp and assistant Pepijn Lijnders overplayed a then-18-year-old Bajcetic due to his strong form, which may now have impacted his developing body in the years since.
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