Liverpool are already missing both of their established senior right-backs for the visit of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League – but they now without another option.
Calvin Ramsay will be unavailable when Liverpool host Eredivisie leaders PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
It comes after the Scot filled the bench for the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend, which marked his first involvement in the Premier League in over three years.
Why Calvin Ramsay can’t play in Champions League
Ramsay is not eligible for any of Liverpool’s Champions League league phase ties as he was not registered in Arne Slot‘s 22-man senior squad.
Having turned 22 in July, he would have been required to take a place on List A and would have done so as a non-homegrown player.
With only 17 non-homegrown spots available, Slot had already been forced to cut one of his first-team regulars when naming his squad in September, with Federico Chiesa initially left out for Rio Ngumoha.
Chiesa was then brought in following a season-ending ACL injury for Giovanni Leoni, with Liverpool employing the new UEFA rule on replacing long-term absentees.
But even in the event of another serious injury or illness – such as Jeremie Frimpong‘s current hamstring issue – there would be no route into the squad for Ramsay as rule 31.14.c can only be applied once for outfielders.
And no longer eligible for List B, with an unlimited number of qualifying under-21s able to be registered, the right-back cannot make the squad against PSV or any of the three subsequent Champions League fixtures.
Liverpool’s right-back options vs. PSV Eindhoven
Without another natural right-back in Ramsay – who impressed despite defeat as a rotated side lost 3-0 to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup – Slot has another big decision to make for Wednesday.
Dominik Szoboszlai started in the role in Saturday’s loss to Nottingham Forest, but the Hungarian’s influence is clearly limited when played out of position.
The most obvious stand-in for midweek is Joe Gomez, who Slot explained was not fit enough to start on Saturday but could be more prepared four days later.
Curtis Jones is also available, while depth could be provided from the academy in the likes of Lucas Pitt, 18, Josh Davidson, 20, or Terence Miles, 21.
Neither Frimpong nor Conor Bradley are expected back until mid-to-late December, with Ramsay likely to return to the squad for the trip to West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday.