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Liverpool defender Calvin Ramsay has returned to the Reds' Premier League matchday squad for the first time in three years, but his Reds career so far has been anything but plain sailing.
Ramsay was hailed as a major coup when he joined Liverpool in the summer of 2022. The signing was praised as a textbook data-driven Liverpool move, discovering a relatively under-the-radar talent with the potential to shine in the first team.
While he may have been considered obscure by Premier League standards, Ramsay was already a recognized name in Scottish soccer. After an impressive breakout season with Aberdeen, he had become one of Europe’s most sought-after teenage talents and was widely tipped to follow in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s footsteps.
Ramsay was no ordinary right-back; he was a player modeled on Alexander-Arnold.
Like the former Liverpool star, he was sometimes used in midfield as his club experimented with how to maximize his creative talents, and even his crossing style mirrored Alexander-Arnold’s precision.
Yet injuries have plagued him from the moment he arrived at Anfield. His debut season was limited to just three minutes in the Champions League and 90 minutes in the EFL Cup, ultimately cut short by knee surgery.
Ramsay was ultimately sent out on loan in the hope of him challenging for a place in the Liverpool squad.
Ramsay’s injury struggles persisted, limiting him to just two appearances at Preston before Liverpool recalled him and sent him to Bolton, where he managed only three brief outings due to match fitness.
By 2024/25, he was becoming a forgotten figure, with a loan to Wigan lasting only half a season as he continued to struggle for meaningful game time.
The now 22-year-old returned to the Liverpool side in October in the defeat to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. Despite the loss, he impressed Reds fans and Arne Slot.
"I think Calvin had a very, very decent performance - calm on the ball," Slot said after the game.
"I don't know if I said it over here, but [in] the first half-hour, I think we had better chances than them, actually, and he was part of that. He played with composure.
"A decent-to-good game for him. And I said also afterwards, if you make your debut after a 3-0 loss, you might feel very, very disappointed.
"But the two of you [Ramsay and Kieran Morrison] can be quite happy with the way you've played in your first time here at Anfield."
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