How Calvin Ramsay performed on Liverpool debut as Jurgen Klopp’s future plan clear

Calvin Ramsay made a surprise appearance for Liverpool under-21s last night.

The summer signing from Aberdeen finally made his maiden outing for the Reds - four months after his arrival for a fee of £6.5 million.

A back problem hampered Ramsay's early progress at Anfield, while he has recently been troubled by a minor ankle complaint.

But having returned to training, Liverpool opted to include Ramsay in their squad against Accrington Stanley in the Papa John's Trophy at the Wham Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The right-back came off the bench in the 62nd minute - and things could not have gone much better from a personal point of view in the 3-2 loss.

Ramsay scored in the 91st minute to spark a late flurry for the young Reds that just fell short.

After Ben Doak's smart work saw Stanley fail to clear properly, Ramsay - with not much of the goal to aim for - coolly tucked home with his left foot.

Doak was then on target himself in the dying embers to make a nervy ending for League One Accrington.

But even if Ramsay hadn't netted, the sentiment about his display would still have stood.

It was a cameo of encouragement, especially considering he hadn't played a minute of football since April.

Ramsay had 30 touches in total and successfully completed 12 of the 13 passes he attempted.

The Scotland under-21 international's athleticism going forward was impressive against fully-fledged Football League players as he found joy with both dribbles he attempted as well as winning one free-kick.

Defensively, Ramsay was also sound. He won two out of three ground duels, one aerial duel and made an interception.

Granted, he lost possession three times but the 19-year-old was trying to make things happen with Liverpool three goals behind for the majority of his time on the pitch.

Indeed, under-21s boss Barry Lewtas will likely report plenty of positive things back to Jurgen Klopp when they debrief Ramsay's performance.

Per SofaScore stats, he was the Reds' top performer with a match rating of 7.3.

And another outing in the mini-derby against Everton could now be on the cards this weekend.

Ramsay was purchased to provide solid cover to Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right-hand side of defence in the future. Even if he hasd been fit, it’s likely that Ramsay still would have had a period of acclimatising to his new surroundings and playing style of Klopp’s.

Granted, it's early days but the signs are positive that he can fulfil that plan in the future.