Facing a number of injury issues at Liverpool right now, Arne Slot has spoken rather dismissively of one of his squad options. Following news that Conor Bradley will be out for the rest of the season, the Reds have just Jeremie Frimpong and Calvin Ramsay avaliable to use as natural right-back alternatives.
So far this term, midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have been preferred at full-back instead of Ramsay, who has made only one competitive appearance for the club this season. Despite the injury issues, it doesn't seem as though Slot will be that keen on using the 22-year-old in the near future either.
The Dutchman's dismissive comments on the right-back, however, have caused a bit of a stir.
Liverpool's Calvin Ramsay reacts during the warm up before a match
Speaking in the pre-match press conference this morning ahead of Liverpool’s fixture against Burnley, Slot rather bluntly claimed that, despite a lack of options at right-back, he still has 'better options to play'. As quoted by Liverpool Echo, he said in full:
“When someone is really unlucky with injuries, there is always someone who benefits, and Calvin is one of those. I still think I have better options to play but I am running out of them.
“He has shown in that one game, against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, that he is good enough to be in and around our players. Then you have to wait for your chance. Sometimes you have to wait for a chance to show this to the rest of the world, but at this moment I have, in my opinion, better options.”
In recent weeks, Frimpong has shown some good form operating as a right-winger, with more freedom to get forward. The attack-minded player has tended to look vulnerable when asked to sit back and play a more defensive role. As mentioned before, Szoboszlai and Jones can also play in that position if needed, but are better off playing in midfield.
As such, it could be argued that Ramsay will be in line for some minutes. But Slot doesn't appear keen on that option. Having very publicly dismissed the 22-year-old, fans online were not impressed.
One sarcastically wrote: "Great man management skills." Another added "And playing Szobo at RB is the better option, can we just sack this man already. He’s a terrible player manager."
One more wrote: "Can you imagine talking about a young player like this?". While a fourth said: He’s not for me Slot. You can’t say things like that, it’s putting the lad down."
A final supporter wrote: "Wow that’s damming for a coach to say that for a youth player!!!"
Jurgen Klopp Was a Big Fan of Ramsay
Jurgen Klopp gives a thumb up in the stands at Anfield
While Slot doesn't seem to rate the defender, his former manager seems to be more of a fan. Speaking in October 2022, having signed Ramsay from Aberdeen for £4m that summer, Jurgen Klopp outlined his expectations for the young right-back, and clearly had high hopes. He told the press:
“Everything we heard about him was that he is a fantastic boy. And what a player he is - what he did for Aberdeen last year, absolutely exceptional.
“In his age group and you know the things we need from a full-back, he is as close as it gets to the things we want and is still a kid. So we really expect a lot from him in the long term."
By that stage already, though, injury problems had impacted the defender's start to life at Anfield, and he's never really been able to build up any kind of momentum. To date, Ramsay has only played three senior matches for the Reds, with only one coming under Slot.