Whilst the majority of the Liverpool squad prepare to take part in a clash of the Red rivals in the sweltering heat of Columbia, somewhat of a forgotten man on Merseyside, Calvin Ramsay, was also in action closer to home as the Scottish full-back faced Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park as pre-season continued for his temporary home, Wigan Athletic.
Ramsay is following in the footsteps of fellow Reds’ fullback, Luke Chambers, who himself enjoyed a superb loan spell under Shaun Maloney in the second half of the 23/24 campaign and looks set to return to the DW Stadium after the USA tour.
However, for the right-back, this season-long loan is as much about his own career and getting back to playing regularly as it is about his Liverpool future under Arne Slot at Anfield.
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Signed from Aberdeen for a reported £6.5million in 2022 after impressing with the Scottish Premiership outfit with his attacking output, injuries have badly hampered the 21-year-old who has made just two first-team appearances for Liverpool as well as two and four outings for Preston North End and Bolton Wanderers respectively in that time.
Already featuring prominently for Maloney’s side ahead of the League One campaign, Ramsay started once again for the Latics and with Liverpool youngster Jayden Danns in attendance, the Scot was tasked with being both a defensive and attacking presence from right back, inverting whilst on the front foot as his managerial and compatriot looked to find a way of playing themselves into promotion contention in the upcoming season.
Up against the tricky and direct Omari Patrick, Ramsay acquitted himself well for much of the first half and was often at the centre of the forward-thinking endeavours, including being the designated set piece taker for the most part.
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Tranmere took the lead from the penalty spot when Premier League referee Jarred Gillet blew up for a foul on Luke Norris who himself fired home the spot kick in style.
Shortly before half-time, Joe Hugill levelled the scores with a well-taken finish from the right-hand side of the area following a well-worked Wigan move.
At the break, Ramsay could be relatively content with his night’s work, especially in an attacking sense in what appears to be a clearly defined role and effort from Wigan to use the Liverpool youngster in central areas wherever possible in build-up phases.
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Having amassed less than 500 minutes across the course of the last two seasons, a majority of which came for the Reds’ Under 21s, Ramsay’s emergence for the second half in itself was a pleasant sight as the full-back continued to build up his fitness and match sharpness ahead of the new season.
The Aberdeen-born starlet was no less active however as Tranmere often targetted their attacks down Wigan’s right with the prowess of Patrick a constant thorn in the side of the visitors before, perhaps mercifully for Ramsay and co, the direct left winger was replaced on the hour mark.
Albeit not quite a garage, the club from the Wirral were very much in the ascendency and a huge Sam Tickle save denied the home side the lead against the odds moments before Nigel Adkins’ charges were awarded a second penalty in front of their very own version of ‘The Kop’.
This time Brad Walker took over spot-kick duty and after the initial effort was saved the defender was left with the simplest task of firing into an empty net to give Tranmere a well-deserved lead.
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Wigan finally got a foothold in the second 45 and a strike from distance hit the post before the Liverpool loanee tried his luck with a left-footed half-volley from the edge of the area that went narrowly wide and over. In the dying moments, the marauding defender almost provided the equaliser from a corner kick but his delivery was wasted as a free header was set wide of the target.
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Whilst it may not have been the result Wigan nor Ramsay craved, it was more crucial minutes in the tank, 93 of them, for an extremely talented footballer, so talented a diligent Reds’ recruitment process saw fit to spend big on a teenager from basically the Scottish highlands.
Both Ramsay and Chambers can expect to be major parts of Maloney’s plans given how pivotal wide defenders appear to be in the system. Both ball-playing full-backs, it will be interesting to watch their influence and whether it can turn into numbers at the business end of the pitch.
But, for local friends Tranmere Rovers with whom The Reds have shared many players down the years including the likes of John Aldridge, Ron Yeats, John Welsh, and more recently James Norris as well as much loved long-serving goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, it appears that the upcoming campaign could well be one to look forward to.
