'Outstanding' Liverpool star closing in on training return after six-month injury nightmare

Liverpool will be hoping that Stefan Bajectic can make a return to training when the squad reassemble after the international break.

The Reds' Premier League title charge recommences when they face Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield on Sunday (14.00 BST). Heading into the business end of the season, with aspirations of claiming Europa League glory also alive, Jurgen Klopp will want to have as many members of his squad available.

Liverpool have been ravaged by injury issues throughout the campaign, with key men including Mo Salah, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai all having periods on the treatment table.

Andy Robertson could be the latest member of the squad who's back on the unavailability lift after he was forced off with a suspected ankle issue representing Scotland. He previously suffered a shoulder problem in October that kept him out for the best part of three months.

Bajcetic has endured a frustrating season of his own. The teenager was a seldom beacon of late last campaign as Klopp's side surrendered their Champions League place and failed to challenge for a piece of silverware.

In a breakthrough season, Bajcetic made 19 appearances, which culminated in a start in a Champions League last-16 defeat by Real Madrid. During his stint in the XI, Mo Salah hailed the midfielder as Liverpool's 'best player' while former captain Jordan Henderson called him 'outstanding'.

Yet Bajcetic required adductor surgery in March that ruled him out for the remainder of the season. And this term, he's continued to be troubled by growing-related issues and confined to just two appearances in September.

No doubt it would have been a frustrating period for Bajcetic as he looked to build on his encouraging 2022-23. Liverpool have been patient with the 19-year-old to ensure that his issues do not prolong later in his career.

Klopp recently quipped that he couldn't believe Bajcetic was still unavailable when spotting him undergoing an individual training programme such were the high standards he was displaying. The Spaniard has had to complete a tailored pre-season regime to get him up to speed.

Last week, Bajcetic teased Kopites with photos of him back on the grass and displaying his incredible body transformation during his time absent. And speaking ahead of the FA Cup loss against Manchester United, Klopp declared that the plan was for the former Celta Vigo man to be reintegrated with the rest of his team-mates after the international break.

The Liverpool manager said: "Stefan is pretty much now in his pre-season to make him physically ready so, in the moment, if he feels something it’s not injuries but intensity.

“He is a young lad, so we have to make sure that we don’t use him before he is then really ready. Because obviously what happened before was that the body was not 100 per cent ready for the intensity professional football is asking for.

“He is in a much better place now, he had a long time – unfortunately – to improve that. That’s why we have to wait now a little bit, but he is in his pre-season and I think he will be part of team training after the international break.”

Liverpool are likely to continue to be careful with Bajcetic when it comes to a playing return. There is a viable option for him to feature for the under-21s before being reinstated into Klopp's squad. The young Reds next face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 6 April.