Liverpool could recall Calvin Ramsay from Preston North End this month with his loan move to the Championship having been desperately disappointing so far for the player. Ramsay joined the Reds from Aberdeen in June 2022 for around £4million but has played barely any first-team football since.
Jurgen Klopp described the then-teenager when he joined as an “exciting young player” with “bags of potential”. Ramsay, now 20, was a late substitute in a Champions League win over Napoli and played 90 minutes of a Carabao Cup victory against Derby.
Yet a serious knee injury ended his debut season on Merseyside prematurely. Liverpool then decided to loan Ramsay out to Preston for the current campaign but the Scot’s injury misfortune has followed him from Anfield to Deepdale.
The defender has made only two appearances, just one of them a start, for the Lancashire club and has not been in the match-day squad for any of Preston’s seven most recent matches after suffering from Covid.
And Lilywhites manager Ryan Lowe, a self-confessed Liverpool fan, has admitted ahead of their FA Cup third-round contest with Chelsea this weekend that Ramsay’s time at Preston could be cut short so he can get regular minutes elsewhere.
Lowe explained: “Well, there is a possibility with everything. Again, you look at him not playing enough games, he wanted to come here and play and force his way in – which is why we signed him, to compete with [Brad] Pottsy.
“The injury set him back, then he played and then Covid set him back. He’s now finding himself out of the squad, but there is a possibility with everything. We will do what is best for us and the player as well.
“Calvin has got the opportunity every day, like most players, to get back into the squad. I had a brief chat with him the other day about it and he’s obviously disappointed he is not in and around the squad – because he feels he can help and get into the team.
“The problem he has got is that we’ve got someone like Brad Potts, who has been one of our most outstanding performers since I came through the door. We have also got cover in there who can fill that void, whether it is Alan Browne or Ali McCann – if it’s right wing-back.
“And if it’s right back, the defenders can go across there so I’ve got to pick a team and squad I feel can help us in games. And if we need to make changes in game, from the bench.
“He’s just a little bit unfortunate. I think the Covid thing really has set him back, because the squad we’ve had from then has been the squad more or less. But yeah, he’s definitely available for selection if needed.”
Liverpool have already recalled four players – Fabio Carvalho from RB Leipzig, Owen Beck from Dundee, Rhys Williams from Aberdeen and James Balagizi from Wigan – from loans this week. Nat Phillips has also returned to Merseyside as planned after a six-month stint with Celtic.
Only Beck and Phillips are expected to get any first-team minutes under Klopp this season. Williams, Balagizi and Ramsay are likely to be sent out on loan again in the hope they can get regular game time in the second half of the season.
One-cap Scotland international Ramsay will be desperate to revive his stalled career if he does depart Preston. With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley for competition at Liverpool, another temporary move away appears best for his development.
