Calvin Ramsay's nightmare start to life at Liverpool has continued, with the right-back confirming he has undergone surgery.
The Scottish youngster joined the Reds from Aberdeen over the summer, with manager Jurgen Klopp hoping he could provide competition for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, but injury saw his first-team bow delayed. Liverpool opted to go ahead with the signing despite discovering an injury during Ramsay's medical, with the teenager signing a five-year contract.
Ramsay made his long-awaited senior debut in early November, coming off the bench in a Champions League group stage victory over Napoli. His first start came just over a week later, against Derby in the EFL Cup, but he hasn't featured since.
The 19-year-old shared a photo from a hospital bed on his Instagram account on Thursday night. 'Surgery went well, time to rest, recover and come back stronger!' read the caption.
A number of the Scot's club team-mates shared messages of support in the comments section, including compatriot Andy Robertson and Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson. Youngsters Layton Stewart and Bobby Clark both wished him a speedy recovery, while Harvey Elliott - himself sidelined by injury for several months last season - said 'You got this lad'.
Jurgen Klopp's approach with Robert Lewandowski bodes well for Darwin NunezRamsay last featured in a matchday squad in December, when he was an unused substitute in the EFL Cup defeat at Manchester City. He has also made the bench for one Premier League game - the victory over Spurs before the World Cup - but has yet to make it onto the pitch in the competition.
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"It was very frustrating because obviously I’d just signed for the club," Ramsay told club media in December when asked about his previous injury. "I just wanted to come in and get to work and start training and playing.
"But I found out in my medical that I had a stress fracture in my back, and it wasn’t the best news. I was out for a couple of months with that, but I just worked hard in the gym every day and tried to get back as soon as I could."
The latest setback has been described by The Telegraph as a "long-term injury". Ramsay has been left out of Liverpool's Champions League squad for the remainder of the season, suggesting he is facing a considerable spell on the sidelines.
His injury will come as a blow for Liverpool, who welcomed back two first-team stars for their last league game against Everton but have seen others ruled out. Thiago was unavailable for the derby, with manager Klopp hoping to welcome the midfielder back soon, but forwards Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino both made their first appearances of 2023 from the bench.