Injury expert Ben Dinnery has made a worrying claim involving Liverpool summer signing Calvin Ramsay.
The lowdown: Left behind
As the Reds headed to Thailand for the start of their pre-season tour it was confirmed that Ramsay wasn't part of the group for the Manchester United match due to a small injury issue.
The 19-year-old right-back was only recently signed in a £6.5million deal from Aberdeen and is expected to act as an understudy to Trent Alexander-Arnold, particularly after academy graduate Neco Williams completed his move to Nottingham Forest this week.
However, upon hearing of the fitness issues, one well-informed onlooker has given some perspective on what the problem for the latest addition to the Reds could be...
The latest: 'My understanding is...'
Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and regularly contributes for Sky Sports, suggested that Liverpool may have been concerned by something discovered during the medial.
He said: “My understanding is that the issue isn’t an injury per se that he would have picked up in the off-season. It was instead something that was flagged in the medical. He wasn’t aware of it. He didn’t come into the medical saying there was an issue, but it was flagged up.
“It’s loosely termed an ‘injury’ but in reality, it’s more of a ‘red flag’. He is still doing training work but he won’t be involved in the friendly against Man United. He made the transition from youth to first-team with 24 appearances at Aberdeen. That’s a big step up with a lot of physical demands. He’s still adapting to the rigours of playing football.
“That step will be even greater between the Scottish Premiership and the Premier League. It’s all about the duty of care. This isn’t really about here and now, it’s about making sure he has a long and successful career. They have the right decision to address some of those underlying issues that aren’t necessarily a huge inhibiting factor at this stage but that could cause further problems down the line.”
The verdict: On the money
Ultimately, those in situ at Anfield would've weighed up the pros and cons of throwing Ramsay into the pre-season action, falling down on the side of caution and allowing the three-cap Scotland Under 21 starlet to stay behind and get ready for the upcoming season.
Whether or not the cavalier full-back is immediately integrated into Jurgen Klopp's plans for the 2022/23 also remains to be seen. With both James Milner and Joe Gomez often used as cover for Alexander-Arnold, the teenage Scot could be allowed time to settle into Barry Lewtas' Under 23 side before making the step up.
Described as an 'exciting' young player by Klopp, this was a capture with the long-term planning of the Reds' ranks in mind, taking gambles was never likely to be part of the remit surrounding Ramsay and this update simply doubles down on that.