‘Long way off’ – Stefan Bajcetic theory dismissed as possibility of ‘another loan move’ cited | OneFootball

One prominent Liverpool reporter has dismissed the prospect of Stefan Bajcetic being considered as a makeshift right-back for the Reds in the upcoming campaign.

The Spanish midfielder made his long-awaited comeback to team training this week, having not played for the club since May 2024 and not made it onto the pitch at all last season due to persistent injury troubles.

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Arne Slot frequently played midfielders at right-back in 2025/26 whenever Conor Bradley and/or Jeremie Frimpong were ruled out injured, with Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo all deployed in that unfamiliar role.

Ian Doyle doesn’t see Bajcetic being used at right-back

However, in response to a reader’s question for the Liverpool Echo as to whether Andoni Iraola might do the same with Bajcetic, Ian Doyle opined that such a scenario would be highly unlikely and that the 21-year-old could plausibly depart on loan again.

He wrote: ‘Stefan Bajcetic has of course played at right-back for Liverpool before, but it was a very long time ago – September 2023 [v LASK in the Europa League] – and wasn’t a massive success.

‘The key for Bajcetic now is simply to get himself back fit and available and in contention for regular minutes, even if that means another loan move. The prospect of him featuring as a potential right-back for Liverpool is a long way off.’

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Emergency right-back duty would be unfair on Bajcetic

If Iraola feels compelled to utilise a 21-year-old midfielder who hasn’t even made a matchday appearance since May 2025 as an emergency right-back in the coming season, it’d be a damning indictment of the Reds’ summer transfer window.

We have two natural options for that role in Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong, although both have had frequent injury problems and the former will be sidelined for another while yet. We also have Joe Gomez who’s well-versed in playing on the right-hand side of defence.

This is the season when the ‘midfielders at right-back’ experiment needs to stop. If it happens out of necessity for one or two games, we can live with it, but it cannot be counted upon as a fallback option to the same extent that it was in 2025/26.

Whenever Bajcetic is cleared to play again, it’ll naturally take time for him to get back into a rhythm after so long out of action, and it’d be unfair on him to be asked to do that in a position with which he isn’t familiar.

Liverpool must ensure that, once the transfer window shuts, they’re adequately stocked for right-backs so that Iraola won’t have to deploy the injury-plagued Spaniard in that role because there isn’t a bespoke option available to him.