It was all but guaranteed to be a wash as Liverpool FC head coach Arne Slot rang in the changes against Crystal Palace in the League Cup, fielding a heavily rotated side as the Reds deal with five injured players in addition to their poor form.
This led to the appearance of many youth players in the squad, including Calvin Ramsay who started at right-back. The 22-year-old made his first senior team appearance in three years. Signed in the summer of 2022, Ramsay has dealt with a serious knee injury, and loan spells where playing time was sporadic. Arne Slot had this to say about Ramsay’s performance:
“I think Calvin had a very, very decent performance. Calm on the ball. 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 can be quite happy with the way you’ve played in your first time here at Anfield.”
It’s been a long road back for Ramsay, and to see him get his flowers from the head coach is an encouraging sign that his career is back on track.