Liverpool forced to recall Alexander-Arnold heir apparent as fresh January loan deal lined up
Calvin Ramsay has been recalled from his loan stint at Preston
Liverpool have opted to recall Calvin Ramsay from his disappointing loan spell at Preston North End after he made just two Championship appearances.
The 20-year-old Scot moved to Anfield from Aberdeen in 2022 but has played precious little first-team football since then, making only two senior appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side so far.
The right-back, who was signed with a view to becoming Trent Alexander-Arnold’s long-term successor, had hoped to gain valuable experience in the Championship. However, a knee issue and then Covid held him back at Deepdale.
Indeed, he made just one star and another substitute appearance for North End, prompting Liverpool to bring Ramsay back and line up a move elsewhere that will get him more game time.
Ramsay has been riddled by injury issues ever since his switch to Merseyside and those problems continued at Preston, where boss Ryan Lowe revealed his regret that te player had to head back.
He said: “It was a bit unfortunate for Calvin. He is a fantastic lad and his attitude and application, he did everything right. We had to get him up to match speed, for the Championship and he obviously had a setback when he first came.
“He played against QPR and did okay, but it was his first game for a while. He came on against Middlesbrough at half time as well, so he had some minutes. Lo and behold, he got COVID after QPR and missed two or three games, then was out of the squad.
“All of a sudden, he found himself out of the squad and the lads who were in there, were doing well enough. The squad was the squad and the bench was the bench. We had a chat, me and Calvin, and I said: “Look, we are not leaving you out for a reason, you’ve got to force your way back in now – the squad is the squad, it’s settled”.
“He was fine with it, no problem. But, I think we’ve come to a mutual agreement with Liverpool that he’s not playing enough minutes or getting enough game time. I think it is probably best that he goes back, and he potentially may go out on loan again somewhere else.”
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Lowe wishes Ramsay well
“So from me, all the staff, players and the football club, we wish him all the best. We were expecting him to be fit and ready early on in the season. We’d agreed to sign him early doors, from July time. He was hoping to come on the pre-season tour with us, for two or three days just to integrate with the group.
“But, we couldn’t get him there because there was still a bit of work for him to do. And when he did join us, he wasn’t fit enough. He had to go back and reassess. He wasn’t our player and we were governed by what Liverpool wanted to do. We have got a great relationship with Liverpool and both sides did everything they possibly could.”
Liverpool in action on Sunday when they face a tricky trip to Bournemouth in the Premier League, having lost on the south coast last season.
A victory would see the Reds move five points clear of Manchester City in the table, although pep Guardiola’s men will have a game in hand.
