Stefan Bajcetic has revealed the words he and Bobby Clark exchanged before they came on to make their Premier League debuts for Liverpool against Bournemouth on Saturday.
With the Reds 7-0 up in the 70th minute, Jurgen Klopp took the opportunity to give Bajcetic his competitive club debut, with the Spaniard replacing Jordan Henderson.
13 minutes later, with Liverpool eight up, Clark was also introduced to the action, with both players impressing with the first team during pre-season.
An extensive injury list has seen both players named on the bench in Liverpool’s recent league encounters.
The rout of Bournemouth was the ideal time for Klopp to reward them for their progress, and speaking to LFCTV after the game, Bajcetic says he and Clark were anticipating their debuts as the scoreline continued to rise.
“I was talking to Bobby saying, ‘This is our time, I think we’re going to go on!’ and we did, so happy days,” Bajcetic said.
“I’ve been playing with him for two years now and we came in the club together so he is one of my best friends and I am so happy for him as well.”
It was unbelievable. On six minutes I think it was 2-0 already. I was on the bench saying, ‘Unbelievable!’ and the atmosphere was crazy. We all knew it was a very important game to win because we needed our first win and now I hope there is more to come.”
Bajcetic also revealed what Klopp said to him before his introduction, with the Liverpool boss encouraging the youngster to approach the game as he would a training session.
“Just: ‘Play like you do in training, with confidence, and don’t worry about it. It’s the same in training as in the games,’” he said when asked what Klopp had said to him.
17-year-old Clark is another relishing the opportunity to be involved with the first team.
Remarkably, his dad Lee Clark came on as a Newcastle substitute alongside James Milner Newcastle in a Premier League clash vs. Bolton in 2005.
James Milner and Lee Clark came on as subs for Newcastle in a 2-0 PL defeat at Bolton on 24th August 2005.
Today, just three days over 17 years later, James Milner and Bobby Clark (Lee’s son) came on as subs for Liverpool in a 9-0 PL win against Bournemouth #NUFC #LFC
— Mark Carruthers (@MarkCarruthers_) August 27, 2022
17 years later, Bobby and Milner both came off the bench against Bournemouth on Saturday.
“Every day in training I’m just taking it all in and learning off the best,” he told LFCTV.
“They just help you every day in training, help you learn and improve… I’ve got to be patient and impress the boss in training.
“Hopefully if I keep training well and doing what he wants me to do, hopefully there is an opportunity here.”
