Calvin Ramsay has agreed a season-long loan at Championship side Preston North End - but remains part of Liverpool's future plans as he looks to rediscover fitness after a debut campaign wrecked by injury.
Ramsay will spend next season at Deepdale with the Reds keen for the 19-year-old to have the opportunity of regular senior game time having suffered two major setbacks since arriving from Aberdeen in an initial £4million deal last summer.
The defender was first sidelined for several months after his medical revealed a previously undiagnosed back problem, delaying his Reds debut until a brief cameo from the bench in the Champions League group win over Napoli in November.
He then made his first start for Jurgen Klopp's side in the League Cup fourth round win over Derby County the following week, but has subsequently not featured and had surgery on a knee problem in February.
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Ramsay has undergone extensive rehabilitation at the AXA Training Centre and was close to returning to full training when the Premier League season ended just over a fortnight ago. He will continue the final stages of his recovery programme at Kirkby before joining Preston in mid-July.
Liverpool acknowledge Ramsay, who has featured for just 384 competitive minutes at all age levels during the last 12 months, now needs more game time to progress his return to full fitness and have decided a loan move is preferential to playing with the under-21s, for whom he featured on several occasions before injury.
Preston - who were among several clubs wanting to take Ramsay on loan - are managed by former Liverpool youth player Ryan Lowe, and have forged strong links with the Reds in recent years with Sepp van den Berg having enjoyed two successful loan spells at the Lancashire club.
"I’m delighted to join Preston North End," said Ramsay. "The Championship is a top league as everyone knows and the main thing for me is trying to get game time, and I’m going to be able to do that at a good club. I can’t wait to get started. I’m happy to be getting the opportunity to get regular game time in a good league, which is important for me. I just need to work hard and try to play as many games as I can.
“There were quite a few clubs interested, but when I spoke to the manager (Ryan Lowe), everything that he said was spot on. The way the team plays, they like to play attacking football, keep the ball and get forward. I think that suits my game because I can score and assist goals, and I like getting at people. Ultimately Preston suited me the best."
While James Milner, who has previously acted as deputy right-back to Trent Alexander-Arnold, has left after eight years at Liverpool, Klopp's right-back options will be bolstered in pre-season by the return of Conor Bradley after the 19-year-old Northern Ireland international enjoyed a hugely successful season on loan at League One side Bolton Wanderers.
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