Aston Villa have been handed another injury blow ahead of their Europa Conference League clash with Ajax as Unai Emery has provided an update on the fitness of Jacob Ramsey.
Aston Villa are preparing to battle Ajax on Thursday night in what is set to be a blockbuster occasion at Villa Park.
The Villans will be hoping to put on a show for their home supporters, who were left deeply disappointed by what they witnessed on Sunday in the Premier League.
After losing 4-0 to Tottenham to dent their top-four hopes, Villa can make the defeat a thing of the past by booking a place in a European quarter-final however, they must get past Ajax first.
Aston Villa team news vs Ajax
The second leg is guaranteed to provide more excitement than the first meeting between the two sides, who played out a 0-0 draw in Amsterdam last week.
It’s all to play for at Villa Park due to the scoreline, with one of the highlights of the first leg being the dismissal of Ezri Konsa.
As a result of receiving two yellow cards, the Englishman will be suspended for the return fixture in Birmingham and he won’t be the only key absence for the hosts.
Long-term absentees Boubacar Kamara, Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings will of course be out of contention, with Unai Emery providing a concerning update on the fitness of Jacob Ramsey in the pre-match press conference.
As relayed by journalist John Townley, the manager shared that Ramsey is “not available” for the fixture against Ajax.
“He is still not available, but hopefully not for a long time.”
“We are going to wait every day to see how he is feeling but he will not be available tomorrow.”
Jacob Ramsey will be a big miss for Aston Villa vs Ajax
One of the reasons that Villa struggled against Spurs was their lack of ball carriers available in the squad, leaving a noticeable gap in building play in transition.
The missing presence of the likes of Ramsey, Kamara and also Leon Bailey, who despite playing was isolated in a central position, slowed things down considerably for the Villans.
Once lauded as “phenomenal” by broadcaster Jack Grimse, the 22-year-old’s ability to run and provide strength and cover for Villa was missed against Spurs, and will now be missed against Ajax.
The obvious cover for the Bodymoor Heath graduate would be January arrival Morgan Rogers, who filled in for the Englishman last time out in Europe.
It’s a big blow for both club and player, who has only managed to start eight Premier League games this season due to his ongoing injury woes.
