Liverpool manager Arne Slott makes the decision after four right-backs will be unavailable for Wednesday’s Premier League match against Sunderland following Dominik Szoboszlai’s red card.
Arne Slott does not name Calvin Ramsey as right-back (Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool manager Arn Slott has said he would rather play an out-of-place midfielder at right-back against Sunderland than select Calvin Ramsey. The Reds’ position is in jeopardy with injuries and suspensions severely limiting their options for Wednesday’s slot trip to the Stadium of Light.
Conor Bradley and Jeremy Frimpong are both sidelined due to injury, and Joe Gomez’s fitness is also a major concern. Dominik Szoboszlai has been a regular at right-back this season but was ruled out after receiving a late suspension for a red card in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Some Liverpool fans have questioned why Ramsey has not been included, given that the 22-year-old is the only specialist right-back available in the slot. The Scot has made just three first-team appearances for Liverpool and will not make more appearances against Sunderland, but Slott gave a brutal answer when asked about him in the pre-match press conference.
“Generally, if you don’t win a game, the players who are not playing become the best players in the team. That’s the same everywhere in the world,” the Liverpool manager said.
Follow our Liverpool FB page! Keep up with the latest Reds news and more on our dedicated Facebook page
read more: Eni Aluko reveals why ITV ‘ignored her in favor of Ian Wright’ after meetingread more: Trent Alexander-Arnold covered on Spanish TV as Real Madrid’s problems escalate
“This is another example of that. I just want to protect all my players. So far I have selected other players and I will continue to do so tomorrow.”
Ramsey has only made one first-team appearance for Liverpool this season, against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup in October, and has remained with the Under-21s. He has spent time on loan at Preston, Bolton, Wigan and Kilmarnock in recent years, but clearly hasn’t impressed in the slot.
Slott is likely to choose to play either midfielder Curtis Jones or Wataru Endo at right-back against the Black Cats. However, there is still a possibility that defender Gomez will start.
Calvin Ramsay is not impressed with Arne Slott (Image: Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
“Joe hasn’t trained with us yet. We’re waiting for him today for the first time,” Slott added. “Certainly, if Joe is not ready to start, we will be without four players who were playing right-back. Curtis and Wata played in this position, so we had six different right-backs.”
Liverpool have been hit hard by injuries this season and were dealt another blow at the weekend, with Jeremy Jacquet, signed for £60m in January, leaving the pitch in agony. The French defender will join the Reds in the summer after finishing the season at Rennes, but the injury is another example of Liverpool’s bad luck.
“It felt like that, that’s for sure,” Slott said when asked about Jaquet’s blow. “Even if we sign a player and he doesn’t even play for us, he gets injured.
“But the moment you think you’re just unlucky, it hits you too. So we need to distance ourselves from that and focus on improving our performance. We’re conceding more goals towards the end than usual. What’s the reason for that?”
“I can definitely say we were unlucky, that’s true. But was it unlucky or who are we? We’ll find out through the rest of the season.”
Join our LFC WhatsApp community to keep up to date with the latest LFC news, opinion, transfer gossip and more. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
