NewsArne Slot explains hopes for Stefan Bajcetic loan move

Having been sidelined for the majority of the previous campaign due to injury, Liverpool midfielder Bajcetic sealed a temporary switch away from Anfield on deadline day.

He joins up with the Austrian Bundesliga side, who are now coached by former Reds assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders and earlier this week qualified for the league phase of the Champions League.

Speaking about the rationale behind Bajcetic departing on loan, head coach Slot said: “I hope it will be a big year for him because he’s a very talented player and I think he could become a very important player for us, but only if he gets playing time now.

“If you are that young and you’ve been out for so long, the only thing you need is playing time. He could have playing time over here, but we’ve got six or seven very good midfielders, so his playing time here will always be more limited than we expect him to play at Salzburg.

“So for him, and us, we think it’s best for him to play at the moment, instead of maybe playing a few times and then being on the bench for a long time again. It’s very difficult to keep a player fit who’s been out for 15 months when you only play him once in a while.

“So this is for the long term. Again, this club has been smart, in my opinion, in the past for not only looking for the short term, but also the long term. It’s a smart decision, at least in our opinion, to let him go somewhere, where he will hopefully play a lot of games.

“Then for next season, we’ll have a player. If he fulfils his potential, [he] could definitely, definitely play for us in the future.”