19 January 2023 , 08:00
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He could easily have done it if he wanted to.
Jurgen Klopp had, after all, hooked both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as part of a raft of four substitutions midway through the second half of the grim Saturday afternoon out by the seaside in Brighton.
In better times, a substitution around that time would usually indicate that Klopp was keeping legs fresh for the next game, but nothing about that loss at the Amex had anything in common with Liverpool's better times.
And so, after he got a namecheck from Klopp in his pre-match press conference, it was Stefan Bajcetic who started the FA Cup third round replay at Molineux in Liverpool's No.6 position, and not either of his more illustrious team-mates.
He did not disappoint.
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The 18-year-old delivered a stellar display that belied his tender years, demonstrating a calmness on the ball that has eluded so many Liverpool players this season and bounding around the pitch with the type of energy that has been so severely lacking.
He wasn't faultless, giving the ball away on a couple of occasions, but it was the type of midfield display Liverpool have been crying out for throughout this mess of a campaign. It wasn't just a breath of fresh air, it was a howling gale.
Bajcetic was superb in Liverpool's win at Wolves (Rui Vieira/AP/REX/Shutterstock)This was just the teenager's ninth senior appearance and third start, but up against experienced performers such as Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and latterly Matheus Nunes he looked remarkably assured, with his display also laying a foundation for Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita to impress alongside him.
Bajcetic isn't a new name to Liverpool fans, as he emerged during the club's pre-season and instantly caught the eye.
He has already had his moments this campaign, chief among them the stylishly taken, "cheeky like hell" goal that killed off Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and the determined challenge in the closing moments of the 2-1 win over Leicester that got Klopp off his feet and punching the air in celebration.
The Spanish youngster scored in the win at Aston Villa on Boxing Day (AFP via Getty Images)Those were cameos though, and neither had the style of Bajcetic's 75 minutes at Molineux that have got many demanding that he stays in the side for Saturday's visit of Chelsea.
That decision rests with Klopp, but the way the Reds manager spoke in glowing terms about the Spaniard after winning the FA Cup replay suggests that he might just have become a serious option for his side in the serious matches.
"Good player, very smart in his movements," he said. "Especially the younger you are, the more important it is that you have a good start in the game.
"He had a few situations where I am not sure he saw there was space or he just hoped there was space when he turned – and there was actually space. He did really well, but what helps really is that he wins these challenges.
"The last few steps before he has to block the ball, that's really good. Having then Thiago next to him is, I think, pretty helpful."
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Indeed, the bond with Liverpool's other Spanish midfielder is one that seems to be growing, and coincidentally this isn't the first time members of the Alcantara and Bajcetic families have been on the same side.
Bajcetic's father Srdan was a footballer himself, plying his trade in Spain, Portugal and China as well as his native Serbia.
Brazil 1994 World Cup winner Mazinho (left), is Thiago's father, and he played with Bajcetic's father at Celta VigoIt was during his three year stint at Celta Vigo in his early 20s when he played alongside the Brazilian international and 1994 World Cup winner Mazinho, who by then was entering his early 30s and was the father of two boys - Rafinha, the former Barcelona and PSG midfielder, and Thiago.
That bond forged by the fathers has passed through to the sons, and Bajcetic Jnr - who was born in Vigo in 2004 after the family settled there, coming up through the ranks at Celta - could hardly have a better mentor than his fellow countryman.
It is perhaps because of Thiago's influence that Spain have been keeping a close eye on the teenager, keeping him in their age groups and fending off interest from his father's country of Serbia, where he could surely break into senior international football earlier.
Or perhaps not.
Fabinho has been below par for Liverpool this season (Frank Augstein/AP/REX/Shutterstock)The former Liverpool and Spain star Luis Garcia was quick to tweet his praise of Bajcetic's performance on Tuesday, saying: "You will say that I'm saying this because he's a Spanish player but...Bajcetic is showing credentials to be the present/future midfielder of LFC & Spain!!"
Many agree, at least on the Liverpool point, and in the immediate present comes Chelsea and a chance for Klopp to continue to show faith in the 18-year-old.
The German has made such a move before, starting Tuesday's matchwinner Harvey Elliott in the exact same Anfield fixture at the beginning of last season when he was 18, but the case for Bajcetic's inclusion is perhaps even more compelling now than the Englishman's was then.
With Fabinho in such poor form all season and Henderson seemingly struggling with his workload of late, Bajcetic would provide the energy and dynamism Klopp's team lack, and which will be vital against a muddled Chelsea side.
Liverpool are crying out for a new midfielder after all, and in Bajcetic they effectively have one.
With a new signing looking increasingly unlikely this window Klopp looks set to elevate the youngster into the rotation of his senior midfielders, starting the bigger games and exerting his influence upon them.
That could all begin this weekend, when he'd be hugely deserving of it.