Aston Villa rising star Aaron Ramsey surpassing Cameron Archer hype with standout Middlesbrough form
Aston Villa fans tuning in to watch Middlesbrough in action on Monday evening would have done so intending to see Cameron Archer, but it was fellow loanee Aaron Ramsey who stole the show.
Villa sanctioned both academy graduates temporary exits in the January transfer window, with Archer widely regarded as the more promising of the two and the more likely to break into Unai Emery’s first team at Villa Park.
And although Archer has by no means done his reputation any damage during his time at the Riverside Stadium – netting six goals and providing four assists from 15 appearances – it has been Ramsey who has sent chins wagging within the Villa faithful.
Ramsey, who is the younger brother of first-team star Jacob, was a shining light in the early days of his loan spell at Norwich City before an untimely injury, and the sacking of ex-Villa manager Dean Smith forced him into a change of allegiances in the January transfer window.
Ever since coming under the guidance of Michael Carrick, though, the 20-year-old has taken his performances to the next level.
From his seven Championship starts for Boro, the attacking midfielder has scored an impressive four goals and one assist, helping the club secure their position in the top-six playoff spots.
In Monday’s (10 April) 2-2 draw against Bristol City, Ramsey was absolutely everywhere and once again would have left Emery impressed with his all-round performance.
After falling 2-0 down after 49 minutes, it was the Villa loanee who dragged his side back into the encounter, netting a first goal ten minutes later and providing the crucial assist for the equalising goal after the hour mark.
Away from the pair of goal contributions, Ramsey won a match-high nine ground duels and four successful dribbles, as well as recording 67 touches on the ball. [SofaScore]
The playmaker was at his best in the final third, creating two chances – one of which was classes a big chance – playing three passes into the final third and recording a 100% shooting accuracy.
Such performances will have left Emery with food for thought ahead of the summer transfer window and potentially placed Ramsey above Archer in the pecking order of academy graduates.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery might have a new star on the block after an injury expert shared news on a first-team ace.