Liverpool boss Arne Slot delivers tough verdict on former Aberdeen star Calvin Ramsay

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has delivered a brutally honest verdict on former Aberdeen defender Calvin Ramsay’s chance of securing game time.

Right-back Ramsay was sold by the Dons to the Anfield club in the summer of 2022 for an initial fee of £4.2million, a club record at the time.

The 22-year-old has struggled to get game time since that switch and has made only two starts for Liverpool.

Aberdeen youth academy graduate Ramsay has been sent on loan to Kilmarnock, Bolton and Preston in recent seasons.

However, Ramsay has been an unused substitute in each of Liverpool’s last seven games due to a right-back injury crisis.

That crisis intensified when right-back Conor Bradley suffered a season-ending knee injury against Arsenal last week.

Slot now has only Ramsay, Jeremie Frimpong and centre-half Joe Gomez as choices for the right-back role.

The Liverpool boss has occasionally used midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back this season when both Frimpong and Bradley were unavailable.

Slot addresses Ramsay’s start chance

Due to the right-back crisis plans to loan Ramsay out during the January transfer window for the rest of the season have been shelved.

Bradley’s long-term injury sparked speculation Ramsay could be propelled into the starting line-up.

However, Slot confirmed the Aberdonian is unlikely to get much game time as he has “better options” available.

Slot said: “I think it’s great for Calvin where he is at the moment.

“Half a year ago he came back to this club, to the U21s, and of course everyone who is playing for the U21s is hoping for a moment, for a chance.

“But it’s a big, big, big chance that he’s having now to come to the first team.

“So when someone is really unlucky with the injuries that we’re having there is always a player that benefits from that, and Calvin is one of them.

“He’s with us, but I still think I have better options to play.”

Ramsay earned a debut Scotland cap following his transfer to Liverpool.

However he has struggled to get game time at his parent club and during loan spells.

Door not completely closed

Ramsay made only his second start for Liverpool in October in a 3-0 Carabau Cup loss to Crystal Palace.

Slot praised him for that performance, and refused to rule out Ramsay getting another chance but only when he has run out of options.

He said: “The moment I run out of options he has shown, in the one game he played against Palace and the moments he trained with us, that he is good enough to be in and around our players.

“Then sometimes you have to wait for a chance to show this to the rest of the world.

“But in this moment of time I have, in my opinion, still better options than him.”

[Source: Press and Journal]