Jacob Ramsey made his first Premier League start for Aston Villa in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, but his inclusion came at the expense of Conor Hourihane.
Ross Barkley was ruled out of the Wolves clash through injury and Dean Smith was expected to give Hourihane the nod in midfield as he is a creative player with a good eye for goal.
Ramsey was surprisingly selected, though, and Smith admitted to BBC Sport after the game that his decision was “a little bit harsh” on the Republic of Ireland international.
The manager said: “(Ramsey) is a good player. I had no qualms about putting him in. Probably a little bit harsh on Conor. Conor played okay at West Ham, but I just felt with (Ramsey’s) legs and his energy in the last couple of weeks in training that he could handle it.”
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Hourihane has made five appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal and supplying one assist. He has started only one Premier League game since September and has spent most of the campaign on the bench (Transfermarkt), so it’s not a total shock that Smith favours youth over the 29-year-old Irishman.
The Villa boss was vindicated in his decision, too, given Ramsey’s performance, so Hourihane might have a battle on his hands to get back into the starting line-up.
In other news, a prolific Championship striker is reportedly on Aston Villa’s transfer wish list
