Stefan Bajcetic has thanked Liverpool duo Thiago Alcantara and James Milner for helping his development after he signed a new long-term contract with the Reds.
The 18-year-old made his first-team debut at the start of the season and rose to prominence in December when he came off the bench to score his first career goal in the 3-1 win over Aston Villa.
In doing so, he became the third youngest player to score for Liverpool in the Premier League, behind only Michael Owen and Raheem Sterling, and the second youngest Spanish player to score in the league, behind Cesc Fabregas.
Despite his tender age, Bajcetic clearly has Klopp’s trust, recently handing him starts in big games against Manchester City and Chelsea.
The midfielder has now been rewarded for his efforts, signing a four-and-a-half year deal with the club.
‘My target is to be a regular here at Liverpool and keep winning trophies with this club and achieving things collectively basically,’ Bajcetic told Liverpoolfc.com.
‘It’s crazy. A year ago I was playing U18s football and now I’ve started some games, made my debut and even scored a goal – that was something I never expected to happen this year.
‘It’s amazing to see how fast it went. But I keep working hard and hopefully [there are] more things to come. It’s something I’ve been dreaming of. Thankfully I got it.’
Bajcetic shares a connection to one of Liverpool’s older midfielders, having come through the same academy as Thiago.
More so, the players’ fathers actually played together while at Celta Vigo back in the late 1990s.
‘It’s a crazy story because we played in the same very, very little academy back in Vigo, the city where I was born,’ the young star said.
‘When I told him [Thiago] I played in this academy, he was like, “Wow!”. It’s unbelievable, this story. I think my dad hasn’t talked with his dad but it’s crazy to think about how small that town was and look at where we are now.’
Asked if his fellow Spaniard helps him a lot in training, he added: ‘Yeah, not only Thiago but Millie [Milner] as well helps me a lot.
‘He’s like a coach inside the changing room and he always gives me some tips and tries to help me all the time. That’s very helpful for me.
‘They were all very good with me, always encouraging me. I settled very well in the changing room, I think.
‘All the young ones as well try to talk to me and the Spanish-talking people always try to help me. That was very important for me and gave me massive confidence.’
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