Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes has insisted that Liverpool are not a club that ‘make mistakes’ in the transfer market after backing Calvin Ramsay to reignite his career. The Scotland international reunited with his former Aberdeen manager earlier this week, moving on loan to Rugby Park until the end of the season.

The switch is the 21-year-old’s fourth temporary exit since joining the Reds in a deal worth up to £6.5m in the summer of 2022.

However, he has been limited to a combined total of 20 appearances for Liverpool and loan clubs Preston North End, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic over the last two and a half years.

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Ramsay’s struggles have predominantly been the result of injury. But McInnes has backed Ramsay to rediscover his best form at Kilmarnock after fighting off rival interest to land the Reds defender on loan.

“As soon as we knew he was available we wanted to try and bring him here,” he said. “We were kind of looking for that profile, that type and the fact of the matter is, we know that his reach is so high if he can get his levels.

“To get him, it’s not easy. It’s not easy getting players. There’s a lot of work that goes into it. We had to overcome a lot of their interest as well.

“Thankfully, Calvin landed on the fact that he thought we were the right option from it at the time and hopefully it’s a successful time for him and us.

“We have got to try and be understanding of where he has been at but equally we are in a rush to try and get him to what he is capable of. I’ve had good conversations with Calvin, I see the difference in him even speaking to him, his maturity.

“He is a bit filled out, more stronger and more capable on that side but underneath it all, still a very, very talented player.

“People at Liverpool do not make mistakes, they do their work, they’ve spent a lot of money and they believe in him.

“But equally, it is up to us to now help him but he has got to try and help us at the same time.

Meanwhile, McInnes is looking forward to working with Ramsay again as he revealed Liverpool’s main motivation for sending the defender on loan to Kilmarnock.

“I am excited to work with Calvin again,” he said. “He was always a young, talented prospect from my time at Aberdeen.

“We had him training with us at the first-team level as soon as he became full-time. He was one that we always thought had a big reach, one that we thought had the capabilities to be a first-team player and go and have a good career.

“Obviously, after I left Aberdeen, he went on to get a really strong move to Liverpool. It’s not gone as well as he would have expected.

“I think if you look at it forensically, there’s a lot of different reasons for that. What we feel and what Liverpool feel at this moment in time is that he needs to be working with somebody who knows him.

“What Calvin gets from it is, hopefully, going back to Liverpool in the summer on the back of playing a lot of games in the Premiership having enjoyed the loan spell and got a wee reminder to himself of how good he is.

“He became a Scotland international. He’s experienced some highs at Liverpool, but the majority of the time, it’s been a tough time for him.

“I think they want to get back to basics and just try to get a really successful loan. It’s all part of the learning curve for Calvin.

“I think if you actually strip it back, what we’re actually getting is we’re getting a really attacking, raiding right back with a lot of pace, a lot of quality. Hopefully, we can find that boy that we know is in there.”