Stefan Bajcetic started making a name for himself this season, and the goal at Aston Villa only reinforced that, but the training camp in Dubai turned out to be important for the young man.
Eighteen-year-old Baisetic has played 190 minutes for Liverpool this season and impressed with his composure and ability to withstand pressure at the heart of the midfield.
He became a regular player in adult training and did not miss the praise from coaches and teammates. Andy Robertson and Fabinho added their names to the list on Monday.
Interestingly, however, Robertson noted that the training camp in Dubai during the break for the World Cup turned out to be important for Baisetic, who took on more responsibility and had to put one part of his game in order.
“Stefan has been great since he came in,” Robertson told LFCTV after the Villa win.
“Dubai was big for him, he was trying to take a little more. We had a lot of young players there, and he was at this club more, he’s young, but he had some responsibilities.
“He grows up quickly, learns quickly. We had to talk to him about a couple of things: timing is not his best occupation, but he adapts to it.
“He’s a fantastic player on the pitch. He has a huge future ahead of him, great potential.
“He was incredible [at Villa], when he came out, he interrupted the game, and that’s probably what he’s known for, not that he scores goals!
“But it was a huge goal for us, so he’s happy.”
There were 13 academy players who made the trip to Dubai, and Bajcetic obviously took on an important role and made an impression, which Fabinho also noted.
“He’s a really good player, he has a lot of personality. We trust him a lot,” Fabinho told Amazon Prime.
“I think I can tell you a little about Stefan, he has been training with us since the beginning of the season.
“He is one of those who always works hard in training, and when he gets the opportunity to play, he tries his best.
“He’s the one who really listens when we talk to them, or Pep and Vito [Matos], who are always with the young players.
“It was very nice, very calm [the finish], when it came down to it, I thought: “Throw it, throw it,” but he bypassed the goalkeeper and scored.”
