Jacob Ramsey made his Premier League debut for Aston Villa in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and was hailed by Dean Smith for his performance.
The 19-year-old was given the nod in midfield ahead of Conor Hourihane, starting alongside Douglas Luiz and John McGinn, and didn’t let his manager down.
He played for 96 minutes before being withdrawn in injury time, had 38 touches, won one aerial duel, completed 78.3% of his 23 passes, created one chance, had two shots, made one clearance, whipped in two crosses, blocked one shot, won one free kick and had two successful dribbles. [WhoScored]
Ramsey said he was “buzzing” to learn that he’d start against Wolves and will now fight to keep his place in the side. The England under-20 international scored 16 goals and supplied four assists in 38 games for Villa’s under-18s, with eight goals and seven assists in 27 games for the under-23s. He has one assist in eight appearances so far for the first team.
Smith told Birmingham Live of Ramsey’s debut: “I knew it wouldn’t faze him as he showed at the end winning a free-kick. He wants the ball and can go box-to-box. He’s one for the future for us and I’m really pleased for him. He’s another one that’s come through the academy and we’re hopeful he can have a fruitful career at Aston Villa.”
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Ramsey’s performance on Saturday certainly seems to have put him in the frame to keep his place in the side ahead of the hectic festive schedule.
It’s too early to judge whether he will be a future stalwart based on just one performance, but the 19-year-old appears to be going the right way about proving himself to the manager.
In other news, Dean Smith has challenged one Aston Villa player to “keep performing” amid singing his praises.
