Aston Villa suffer dent to Champions League hopes as new Jacob Ramsey injury update emerges
Aston Villa are enjoying an excellent season under Unai Emery and they moved a step closer to the Champions League with an important win over Luton Town.
Emery’s side were far from perfect in their 3-2 win at Kenilworth Road on Saturday (2 March) but a first-half brace from Ollie Watkins and a last-minute header from Lucas Digne ensured that Villa claimed all three points.
But the win didn’t come without a couple of blows for Villa, namely a new injury woe for Jacob Ramsey who was substituted after 29 minutes having suffered a blow to his foot midway through the opening 45 minutes.
According to the Express and Star on Monday (4 March), Ramsey left Kenilworth Road in a protective boot on Saturday ahead of a potential assessment to deem just how serious his latest injury could be.
The England youth international broke a metatarsal in the same foot during the European Championships last summer, which forced him to miss the start of the season before the same issue resurfaced again in September.
Will Jacob Ramsey be fit to play for Aston Villa against Ajax?
Ramsey has finally managed to find his feet in a Villa shirt this season in recent weeks, with impressive performances from the left-flank that have allowed him to hold down a regular position in Emery’s starting XI.
In Villa’s 4-2 win over Nottingham Forest, the 22-year-old picked up an assist and managed to create more chances than any other player on either side as he laid on three goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates, according to Fotmob.
On the ball, Ramsey was just as impressive as he completed 100 per cent of his attempted dribbles while also managing to find a teammate in claret and blue with 88 per cent of his 40 attempted passes at Villa Park.
Five of those passes were into the final third as Ramsey flexed his creative muscles, but he also showed that he can carry a goal threat himself as he registered seven touches in the opposition box and had two shots on the Forest goal.
Few midfielders in the Premier League produce a higher xG week in and week out than the Villa star, who placed in the 92nd percentile of his positional peers for non-penalty xG per 90 minutes this season, with an average of 0.23, according to Fbref.
However, Ramsey only places in the 61st percentile for non-penalty goals per match, with an average of 0.11 goals every 90 minutes this season. To add another element to his game, he has to start converting his chances.
Will Unai Emery be able to book his place in the Champions League?
It will be a huge blow to Villa’s Champions League hopes that Ramsey could be set for another spell on the sidelines, but Emery does have several other excellent attacking talents at his disposal to replace the 22-year-old.
Hopefully, the likes of Moussa Diaby and Morgan Rogers will be able to step up in the coming weeks to help Villa maintain this excellent run of form and continue the push for the top four.
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton has suggested that Tottenham hold an advantage over Emery’s side in the race for Jaden Philogene
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