One Aston Villa player now has a golden opportunity to cement his place in Unai Emery’s starting eleven against Everton on Saturday.
Many Aston Villa stars have been playing for their countries on the international stage but attention will now quickly turn to matters at club level.
The Villans host Everton at Villa Park on Saturday after securing wins over West Ham and Leicester City while losing against Arsenal.
Unai Emery’s men will be keen to add a third victory to their tally against the Toffees, with Morgan Rogers ready to flourish in a new role.
Rogers – who has been Emery’s standout player in the opening three games – isn’t the only star vying to showcase his talent this weekend.
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Jacob Ramsey can flourish against Everton in Leon Bailey’s absence
Leon Bailey suffered a hamstring injury in the opening stages of Villa’s win over Leicester after he lunged towards the ball in an attempt to block a pass.
The return date of the Jamaican is unknown but it does appear the 27-year-old will miss Saturday’s clash against Everton, with Emery now needing to fill his void.
Luckily, academy graduate Jacob Ramsey is now in line to replace Bailey in the starting XI, presenting the Englishman with a golden chance to cement his place in the side.
Ramsey has come off the bench in each of their three games, assisting Jhon Duran’s winner against West Ham, while replacing Bailey in the 16th minute against Leicester.
The 23-year-old has looked like a constant threat cutting in from the left flank and now, he should earn his first start of the campaign this weekend.
Jacob Ramsey’s Aston Villa statistics in 2024/25
In the past year or so, Ramsey has been unfortunate with injuries as they prevented him from building on a successful 2022/23 campaign.
That was when the youngster produced six goals and seven assists in the Premier League, with the midfielder pushing for an England call-up.
Since then, he’s failed to replicate such form but the early signs this term suggests he’s returning to his best and that is music to the ears of Emery.
Ramsey has created the joint most big chances in the Villa squad (2), recorded the third most key passes per game (1.3) and completed the most dribbles (2) at a 100% success rate.
Despite only playing 89 minutes from the bench, the ‘special’ Aston Villa talent has been one of Emery’s brightest sparks going forward.
Now, in the absence of Bailey, Emery will expect him to continue producing those levels to cement his place in the starting XI.
