Stefan Bajcetic may have had the pick of joining the Premier League giants as a kid, but he insists there was only one choice: Liverpool.
The teenager stood out as a junior with Celta Vigo and when he reached his 16th birthday, a host of English clubs made an approach, with Manchester United leading the pack. That all changed though, with one conversation.
“But, yes, when I heard that Liverpool wanted to sign me, there was nobody else to decide on. This was the only one,” he explains with a grin. The grin is because the midfielder, even though he’s still only 18 and has been at Anfield for just two years, knows the emotional importance of the rivalry with United and the history between the two clubs.
“It’s the English ‘Clasico’, no? It’s a massive game,” he says with another wistful smile. Pushed on the chance to join United, the impressive maturity he shows on the pitch is evident off it.
“I’m at Liverpool now, I’m just focusing on that and I don’t want to talk about other clubs,” he says, though with a grin which suggests he knows the meaning of his words.
Liverpool always had an advantage in signing the young Spaniard of Serbian descent. His mum is Galician but his dad, Serdan Bajcetic, is a former Celta player and now youth coach, and once played with Thiago’s dad, Mazinho, at the Spanish club.
There are 13 years between the two team-mates, so they never met in Spain, but Bajcetic admired Thiago growing up as one of Spain’s golden generation, and he admits to watching in wonder at times during training sessions.
“Since I came here, since I trained that first day, I have always talked to him (Thiago). I’m Spanish, so I wanted to speak and he has been helping me a lot,” he explains.
“Thiago has been massive for me, to give me confidence. He introduced me to the other players and I am learning a lot from his game. It is all so good.”
Not that the awe is all one way. Bajcetic has been so impressive since he grabbed a place in the Liverpool first team, even Mohamed Salah has suggested he’s been the Reds' best player. The entire team applauded him after his Premier League debut at Aston Villa, when he scored.
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“That’s right. They were so happy for me,” he says of that dressing room recognition. “It’s the same for everyone. If a new player scores, there is always a nice feeling for him and everyone supports you. It was good.
“It is always nice when these big players trust you. They give you the ball. When they are in a tough situation on the pitch, they look for you to help. They will give me the ball in a situation that is tough for me but they believe in me.
“It gives me a lot of confidence, definitely. They are massive players. If they trust me, then it makes me feel tall. The manager, too, he tells me to show my confidence. He likes my intensity, I think. He wants me to be intense but calm with the ball.”
