Aston Villa travel to face Burnley on Saturday afternoon and Steven Gerrard revealed in Friday’s pre-match press conference that Jacob Ramsey was a major injury doubt after picking up a knock in training.
He said: “We had an issue in training with young Jacob Ramsey as well, so we’re analysing his situation and he’s a big doubt as we stand.” The 20-year-old will be a big loss, having played in all but two of Villa’s Premier League games this season, scoring six goals with one assist.
Ramsey being a regular in midfield means Gerrard hasn’t needed a contingency plan in case of injury until now, but it’s likely Douglas Luiz will get the nod. The 5ft 8in man can start alongside John McGinn while Tim Iroegbunam or Marvelous Nakamba operate in front of the back four.
Ramsey provides more of a goal threat than Luiz, but the Brazilian has created 31 chances in 29 Premier League appearances this season. He’s made 22 successful dribbles and hits the target with 31% of his shots, so Gerrard could do a lot worse.
It’s unlikely Morgan Sanson would feature, so the only other option is to play the more attacking Carney Chukwuemeka. The 18-year-old hasn’t featured since mid-February while contract talks broke down, however, so it remains to be seen if Gerrard would pick him over Luiz.
In other news, Steven Gerrard should start Tim Iroegbunam v Burnley
