Anthony Onifade

Wed 13 September 2023 12:10, UK

Aston Villa and Unai Emery have been handed a significant boost as the Premier League season resumes this week with Jacob Ramsey set for a timely return from injury this month.

The Villa Park wonder hasn’t featured since the England Under-21’s quarter-final 1-0 victory over Portugal in their run to an unprecedented European Championship 2022 triumph.

Ramsey proved a standout performer for Lee Carsley’s side before his injury, playing in four games, registering one goal and an assist before hobbling off with a worrying ankle injury after a nasty tackle which left him on crutches.

Injury Expert Dr. Rajpal Brar stated on 5 September that Ramsey is expected to require wearing a protective boot or cast which could see him potentially miss a few more weeks of action.

But in a stunning new boost for the Villans ahead of a crucial run of games both domestically and in Europe over the next few weeks and months, Ramsey will return sooner rather than later.

According to Birmingham Live, reporting on 11 September, the Bodymoor Heath academy product is expected to return to action against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 24 September, the perfect match for Ramsey to make his timely return.

The 22-year-old has been sorely missed despite Villa’s up-and-down start and their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool before the international break was a performance which cried out for the invention and complete thrust of Ramsey as Emery’s men were outclassed all game.

Villa, who have been scoring for fun since losing 5-1 to Newcastle in their opening game of the season, were far too open at the back as they struggled to deal with Liverpool’s forwards and that was down to their lacklustre pressing which has proven a key theme of their resurgence under Spaniard.

Ramsey had proven an almighty part of that because of his tenacious energy and aggression when attempting to win the ball back, evidenced by his 0.7 interceptions, 2.0 tackles, 0.5 possessions won per game, and winning 51% of his ground duels last season [SofaScore].

While Aston Villa have been largely impressive in the few games leading up to the Liverpool defeat, with new signing Moussa Diaby wreaking havoc in attack, the Villans have sorely missed Ramsey, especially Ollie Watkins with the England Under-21 international’s unselfish work off the ball and runs into the box that creates space for Watkins to thrive within the penalty area.

Watkins is yet to score in the Premier League this season, and that’s arguably down to Ramsey’s absence and his performances and development last season highlight his incredible influence on Emery’s new and improved system at Villa Park.

The 22-year-old was rightly awarded the 2022/23 Premier League Academy Graduate of the Year award (22 May), following in the footsteps of the likes of Bukayo Saka, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marcus Rashford, showcasing why he is the cream of a very exciting crop of Premier League talent that has emerged on the scene this season.

According to the Opta-powered stats on FBREF, Ramsey looks to be one of the most-rounded midfielders in the Premier League, sitting in the top 20% of his counterparts for goals (0.21 per 90) and assists (0.18 per 90).

He also impressively sits in the 96th percentile for non-penalty goals per90, 94th percentile for assists per90, 94th for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 – such contributions in the box have been missing which has certainly impacted Watkins’ form – and 96th percentile for progressive carries per 90 highlighting his sensational influence and decisiveness amongst his peers in Europe’s top five leagues.

Not only will Watkins be impacted by Ramsey’s return but the likes of new signing Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey too.

It’s now season on season, and the 22-year-old seems to be improving his goal output, as referenced and highlighted by Aston Villa Statto [30 May] – under Emery, the Villa Park academy graduate has consistently popped up with crucial goals and assists registering six goals and seven assists last season.

And those numbers will increase this season with more games now on the horizon for Aston Villa and his possible return against Chelsea in over a week’s time will be absolutely pivotal.

Superb news for the whole club and very timely indeed.

In other Aston Villa news, one Villa Park wonder will now use his international exposure as a tool to develop fully into a Premier League star.