19-year-old simply must debut today after Liverpool’s double injury blow

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Calvin Ramsay must debut for Liverpool today as the Reds travel to face Rangers. A double injury blow makes it vital.

Liverpool face Rangers today in another key Champions League clash. The Reds must win to have any chance of overhauling Napoli for top spot.

But it won’t be routine. Rangers need a win themselves, or at least a point, as they eye-up the group’s third spot. On top of that, Liverpool suffered injuries this week that hurt them.

Luis Diaz will be out for quite some time with a knee issue. Liverpool do have cover for him up top, mind, and can probably survive that one.

In defence, however, there are real worries. Both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip will miss the next few weeks. That puts things in danger as both Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté will be stretched.

It must mean a debut for Calvin Ramsay against Rangers tonight.

Calvin Ramsay debut

Ramsay arrived from Aberdeen in the summer but an immediate injury kept him out for some time. He’s now back training – and has been for a few weeks – but we’re yet to see him on the pitch.

That surely changes tonight. Konaté is set to start in place of Matip but right-back is a problem. Gomez is the obvious replacement, of course. He’s played there regularly and put in a good shift against Arsenal.

However, Liverpool play Manchester City at the weekend. Risking both players for a full 90 minutes against Rangers makes little sense with such a massive game on the horizon.

And that’s where Ramsay comes in. He can play the right-back role – against a team he knows – and afford rest to either Gomez or Konaté. It could simply be a swap for Gomez or it could see Konaté off and Gomez at centre-back.

Either way, Jurgen Klopp must use the youngster. He can keep players fresh and reduce injury risk – even if it’s just with 30 minutes from the bench.