Aston Villa return to Premier League action this weekend as they face a struggling Everton side.
Unai Emery will be hoping the international break didn’t do too much damage to his players. Ezri Konsa did withdraw from the England squad after suffering a knock against Finland, but it appears he has escaped injury.
Leon Bailey is one player who will definitely miss the clash against the Toffees, suffering a hamstring injury against Leicester City and could face up to ten weeks out of action.
He was arguably one of Emery’s key players last term and will be a big miss.
Leon Bailey’s statistics for Villa this season
The former Bayer Leverkusen star registered 28 goal contributions last season – 14 goals and 14 assists – as Villa secured a top four finish in the Premier League.
The winger played in the first three league matches for the club thus far yet failed to score or grab an assist before disaster struck against the Foxes.
Despite not hitting the heights of last term, Bailey’s absence will be felt by Emery, especially with matches coming thick and fast, both domestically and in Europe.
The question for Emery now is, who replaces the winger in the starting XI against Everton?
Jacob Ramsey could be the ideal replacement for Leon Bailey
Ramsey was the player who came off the bench to replace Bailey after he suffered his injury against the Foxes a couple of weeks ago, shining in the process.
During his 63 minutes on the pitch, Ramsey completed 87% of his passes, made two key passes, created a big chance, and succeeded with 100% of his dribbles (3/3), meaning he offered plenty going forwards.
Accurate passes
24/28
Key passes
2
Big chances created
1
Dribble attempts (successful)
3/3
Total duels (won)
5/9
Possession lost
7
Via Sofascore
Defensively, the Englishman also won five of his eight ground duels along with making two tackles, showing that he is capable of contributing in other areas of the park.
While the right flank may not be his ideal position, gaining minutes in the starting XI will be of major importance to the midfielder as he seeks to become a regular in the first team under Emery.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke lavished praise on the youngster in 2023 when speaking to Football FanCast, saying: “Villa are lucky they’ve got such a top young player on their hands and they won’t want to even consider selling him.
“In the going market right now, he’s probably in the £50m bracket at least, but I don’t think Aston Villa would even consider selling him. They want to keep him and build a team around him going forward.”
Tottenham Hotspur were interested in signing Ramsey during the summer transfer window, but no move materialised, which could prove to be crucial for the Midlands side this season, as they now have him available to be called upon.
If Ramsey performs well against the Toffees this evening, it could see him emerge as a key player for the club over the coming weeks, especially with Bailey missing important matches due to injury, which would provide him with plenty of game time and Emery with a solution to his problem on the right flank.
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