Pep Lijnders comes down hard on Stefan Bajcetic as Liverpool star fined for training incident

Pep Lijnders has disclosed that Stefan Bajcetic will be slapped with a fine for arriving late to Red Bull Salzburg's pre-match training session.

Liverpool loanee Bajcetic, who is currently playing the season with the Austrian team, encountered issues locating his boots and as a result was late for Monday afternoon's session.

"It will be around €500 ($555) the day before the game," Lijnders confirmed during Monday's pre-match press conference ahead of the match with Brest, verifying that the timing error would come at a cost for the Spanish player.

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Salzburg 24, an Austrian news outlet present at the training facility on Monday, reported that Bajcetic's mistake was taken in good spirits by his fellow players. They noted that "the entire team was visibly happy and politely thanked the 19-year-old" for a fine that will go towards a future team outing.

However, he was dropped to the bench for Tuesday's Champions League clash against Brest, which ended in a surprising 4-0 victory for the away team, courtesy of goals from Mahdi Camara, Mathias Pereira Lage and a double from Abdallah Sima.

Bajcetic did make an appearance in the second half, replacing Lucas Gourna-Douath in the 77th minute when the scoreline was already at 4-0. It is unclear if the team selection decision was tactical or based on Bajcetic's misdemeanor.

Bajcetic transferred to Salzburg on a season-long loan in August following a period of 18 months at Liverpool marred by injuries. The Spanish youth international had become a crucial player for the Reds in the latter half of the 2022/23 season but was restricted to just one start last term due to a severe calf injury.

His move to the Austrian team saw him reunite with Lijnders, Vitor Matos, Andreas Kornmayer and former academy colleague Bobby Clark. He has been a regular in Lijnders so far this season, having opted to move to the Austrian side amid reported loan interest from Barcelona.