Aston Villa already have Jacob Ramsey replacement in Omari Kellyman as injury update emerges
Aston Villa have one of the biggest games of their season on the horizon as Unai Emery prepares his side for a trip to Ajax in the Europa Conference League on Thursday 7 March.
Emery’s side have impressed both in Europe and the Premier League this season and come into Thursday night’s clash full of confidence having scored a late winner to claim all three points against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.
However, Villa suffered a new injury blow against the Hatters as Jacob Ramsey was forced off of the field midway through the first half having picked up another foot injury having been plagued by issues in the first half of the season.
The 22-year-old was spotted leaving Kenilworth Road in a protective boot ahead of further assessments but could be set for an extended spell on the sidelines given his metatarsal injury at the start of the campaign [Express and Star, 4 March].
While that will be a blow ahead of the Europa Conference League clash, it does open the door for somebody else to slot into Emery’s plans and Omari Kellyman may have just shown Emery he’s deserving of an opportunity.
Who will Unai Emery start for Aston Villa against Ajax in the Europa Conference League?
Kellyman, who has been named in a couple of Villa first-team sides this season, started Villa under-21’s win over Liverpool in the Premier League 2 on Sunday (3 March) scoring the opening goal as the Villans won 2-0.
The teenager made an excellent run in behind the Reds defence before calmly slotting into the net for his seventh goal in 10 matches this season while also helping Villa stretch their unbeaten run in the league to six matches.
Emery is a big fan of Kellyman and even made the bold call to take the versatile attacker on Aston Villa’s pre-season tour of the United States. While the Spanish manager will likely start one of Morgan Rogers or Moussa Diaby against Ajax, he may include the academy star in his matchday squad.
Whether or not he’ll get on the pitch remains to be seen, but with the bigger benches available to managers in European matches, Emery would be wasting an opportunity by not taking Kellyman to Amsterdam.
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton has suggested that Tottenham may have an advantage in the race for Jaden Philogene’s signature this season
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.