Stefan Bajcetic misses out on Spain's Olympic squad in boost for Liverpool

Liverpool received a shot in the arm after Stefan Bajcetic was left out of Spain's Olympic squad for the upcoming tournament.

After missing most of the last 15 months through injury, Bajcetic, who managed only three appearances for the Reds in the previous season, could've been on the plane to Paris following his rehabilitation late last term.

Having made his Spain U21 debut back in September 2023, Bajcetic was also anticipated to join last summer's U21s European Championships journey in Romania and Georgia until an untimely injury cut his season short. Despite this, he didn't make Santi Denia's 22-man set for pre-Olympic training, with Denia confessing it was: "The most difficult squad I've ever had to make."

READ MORE: 3 ways Arne Slot's Liverpool could line up with Arda Guler and two other transfers
READ MORE: Arda Guler move could solve ultimate Arne Slot problem for Liverpool and unleash Mo Salah

The Spanish side will assemble at Ciudad del Futbol on July 1st to start work before jetting to Bordeaux for a friendly against the USA's Olympic team on 18th July. The team will then line up for a showdown with Uzbekistan in its Olympics group stage opener on 24th July, followed by matches against Dominican Republic and Egypt.

For Liverpool, Bajcetic's omission comes as a relief, especially considering his recent run-in with injuries, as participating in the Olympic Games (scheduled between July 25 and August 9) would have interfered heavily with pre-season preparations.

The Spanish player will now be able to work under the guidance of new head coach Arne Slot, as he aims to makeup for lost time at Liverpool. Although Bajcetic has not been selected for the Spain squad, it is still uncertain whether Egypt and Japan will call upon Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo as overage players respectively.

Egypt has already expressed its desire to include the Liverpool forward in its team, while Endo has admitted his aspiration to represent his nation in Paris. The deadline for teams to submit its final 22-man squads for the Olympic Games is July 3.