Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin has claimed that Liverpool’s Calvin Ramsay has been the talk of the dressing room at his old club.
Ramsay finally made his debut for Liverpool at the start of the month, coming off the bench for a cameo against Napoli. He then followed that up with an impressive 90 minutes on Wednesday against Derby County.
And speaking to The Scotsman, his former manager said everyone at Aberdeen has been delighted for the Reds youngster.
“We are all delighted for Calvin. I was watching the Napoli game with my son and we were delighted that Liverpool won the game. We were equally pleased that Calvin got to make his long-awaited debut for Liverpool on such a memorable occasion,” said Goodwin.
“Napoli are a team that are flying in Serie A and in the Champions League. For Calvin to come on and make an impact and help Liverpool win the game was outstanding. It was the talk of the dressing room and the talk of Cormack Park the next day when we all came in. There are a number of people here who have known Calvin for a long, long time and are very proud of the strides he has made.”
Ramsay making strides at Liverpool
It was great to finally see Ramsay in action after a near four-month injury lay-off. His performance against Derby in particular suggested that he’s ready for more first team minutes.
Goodwin certainly thinks so, anyway. The Irish coach predicted that although the 19-year-old could still do with catching up physically, he’s in the right place at Liverpool.
“Calvin is very respectful of others but one thing he has got is real confidence and self-belief,” he explained. “You need that at any level, especially as an elite sports level.
“He still has a lot to do in terms of his physical development. He needs to get stronger. To compete in the English Premier League you need to be athletic, really strong and quick. Nobody can doubt his offensive attributes. He needs to improve defensively.
“But he is at a club that has a great history of developing young players. I’m sure Calvin will get all of the attention required to get him to become a better player, a Liverpool regular and hopefully a Scottish regular.”
That’s the plan. Ramsay took major strides towards that goal this week. His full Liverpool debut against Derby was preceded by a first senior international call-up on the same day.
Perhaps some may see that as being premature. But when you factor in that the teenager has already played almost 50 games at club level, it’s maybe even overdue.
Ramsay will be expected to drop back to the bench tomorrow as Trent Alexander-Arnold returns. Once the World Cup break is over though, he’ll be expected to kick on even more.
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