After an injury ravaged 18 months Calvin Ramsay would have been hoping his loan move to Bolton Wanderers at the end of January would be something of a fresh start.
Since sealing a dream £4.5million switch from Aberdeen to Premier League giants Liverpool in July 2022, the 20-year-old full back has had some rotten luck, seeing his development curtailed by a succession of injuries that restricted him to just two first team outings at Anfield last season just and two more in a loan spell at Preston in the first half of the current campaign.
But unfortunately for Ramsay, who won his only senior Scotland cap to date in a friendly against Turkey in November 2022, things haven't gone much better for him at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. Bolton - who sit joint-second in the English third tier - are in action against fellow promotion hopefuls Barnsley tonight, as they look to return to the Championship after a four year absence. But once again Ramsay has not been included in the 18-man squad.
Ramsay made a decent start by appearing in four of the EFL League One side's first six matches since his arrival, despite not complete 90 minutes in any of his outings. However the former Pittodrie youngster has now failed to make manager Ian Evatt's squad in each of the last four games - with no indication from the club on why he has been left out or whether he has picked up another injury.
The defender has undoubted talent, winning the SFWA Young Player of the Year during his lone season in the first team at Aberdeen in 2021/22. But the lack of regular minutes and rhythm are seriously beginning to hamper that potential, as well as his chances of going onto establish himself at parent club Liverpool.
An injury to Anfield icon Trent Alexander Arnold has seen fellow youngster Connor Bradley - who enjoyed a highly successful loan spell at Bolton last season - grab the opportunity with both hands to make a huge impression under departing manager Jurgen Klopp.
The Irishman scored a superb goal against Chelsea on his full Premier League debut and helped Liverpool lift the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 win against the same opposition at Wembley last month.
With talisman Alexander-Arnold expected to move into a midfield role on a permanent basis- at some point, Bradley could well cement his place as the side's first choice right back for years to come - a position that Ramsay is sure to be looking on with envy as he ponders what might have been.
