Arne Slot could be about to rest and rotate his Liverpool squad to face Crystal Palace and it could be one last chance for a forgotten talent.

The EFL Cup might be the opportunity for Arne Slot to rotate his Liverpool squad, however, with wins and clean sheets hard to come by in recent weeks, a win would be warmly received.

Slot has a few problems to fix throughout his team and Crystal Palace are the perfect opposition to rediscover form and find a winning formula. With a lengthy injury list though, there will need to be one or two changes to protect those who are in positions where depth is short. One such position is right-back with Calvin Ramsay tipped to come in from the cold in what could be his last chance at the club.

Last chance saloon at Liverpool for Calvin Ramsey?

Ramsay was just 18-years old when a £6.5m deal with Aberdeen was agreed to bring him south to Anfield as a raw but hugely talented defender. A Scotland cap in 2022 showing how many onlookers expected his career to develop and yet, since signing, he has spent most of his time on the treatment table. Even during four different loan spells he has only managed to accumulate 24 appearances.

He might be 22-years old in terms of age, but his experience remains that of a teenager. Physically, Ramsay looks significantly stronger and more athletic and his run of eight consecutive games for the Under-21s is a positive sign. It is also the reason why he has been recalled to the senior squad for the game to face Palace. After the injury to Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley is the only fit right-back which opens the door for Ramsay. He is though, in the last chance saloon.

With 18-months left on his Liverpool contract, he won’t get many other opportunities to prove that it should be extended and for him to fulfil his obvious potential. Rather than playing Dominik Szoboszai out of position, if Ramsay can impress Slot, the promotion should be a permanent one given how much senior football he played before moving to Liverpool. It might seem unfair, but the bar is higher for Ramsay, he has to play well – if he is picked – and he has to stay fit, otherwise, his time at the club will be over.

Just how good is Calvin Ramsay?

It is easy to forget just how highly rated Ramsay was when Liverpool signed him from Aberdeen with the Aberdeen-born defender hitting nine assists as a marauding 18-year old full-back. Jim Goodwin was the Dons manager when the deal was agreed who said to Sky Sports of the Scotland international: “Liverpool are very lucky if that deal does go through as they’re looking at a very exciting young talent who won the Young Player of the Year award last year here in Scotland.

“We certainly had high hopes for Calvin and no doubt he’ll go from strength to strength at a very good team in Liverpool. His stats in the first half of the season, for those who care about data which we all know is an important part of the modern-day game, Calvin’s were right up among the top full-backs in the world.

“Hence why he came on the radar of Liverpool and other big clubs as well. Liverpool will be getting a very good player. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not the finished article as you’d expect at 18 years old. He’s got huge room for improvement and lots of development still to do.” The talent is still there, but Ramsey is already facing the biggest season in his young career and, potentially, the most important game should he be handed his chance against Palace.