Aston Villa receive injury boost as Jacob Ramsey spotted in training
It’s a big week for Aston Villa as they get their full Europa Conference League campaign underway, having brushed past Hibernian in the play-off stages.
Unai Emery has to contend with several injury issues in the early stages of the campaign, with Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings ruled out for most of the season. But finally, Villa have some positive news on the injury front as Jacob Ramsey has returned to first-team training.
The 22-year-old was pictured alongside his teammates in training in an article published by Birmingham Live on Wednesday (20 September) as he looks to complete his recovery from a metatarsal injury that he sustained on international duty this summer.
Emery’s side are set to jet out to Warsaw ahead of their clash with Legia Warsaw on Thursday (21 September) and although it is unknown whether or not Ramsey will be part of the side that makes the trip to Poland, his imminent return will be a huge boost to the Villa side.
In 35 Premier League appearances last season, Ramsey managed to score six goals and register seven assists, making him the Villains’ second top goal scorer in the league, only bettered by Ollie Watkins as Villa finished seventh.
According to his Fbref scouting report, the 22-year-old was arguably one of the most potent midfielders in attack over the last year in Europe’s top five leagues. Ramsey sits in the 92nd percentile for non-penalty goals scored per 90 minutes and the 94th for assists per game.
On the ball Ramsey is in the top three per cent of midfielders for progressive carries completed per 90 minutes, averaging 3.53 carries a game while also having more than three touches in the opposition penalty area.
While Ramsey has been out of action, John McGinn has been deployed in the more attacking role that Ramsey typically occupied and although the Scotsman has been in excellent form, he has a very different skillset to the Villa academy graduate.
McGinn’s Fbref report shows that he carries the ball much less often than Ramsey, averaging 1.25 progressive carries a game, placing him in the bottom 46 per cent of midfield, while also having a much lower 1.81 touches in the opposition penalty area a game.
Ramsey’s return could allow Emery to deploy the Englishman and Moussa Diaby on either side of Watkins in an attacking three, with each player looking to cut in from their flank onto their stronger foot, creating space for the Matty Cash and Lucas Digne to overlap.
While it may take some time for the 22-year-old to come back from such a long time out of action, seeing him back on the training pitch is a huge boost and hopefully, it won’t be too long until we see him in claret and blue once again.
In other Aston Villa news, Douglas Luiz has received plenty of plaudits for his performance against Crystal Palace