Jacob Ramsey eager to make Aston Villa point after injury frustration

The 23-year-old midfielder hopes Sunday’s goal against West Ham is just a taste of what is to come as he looks to finally put a frustrating, injury-strewn period fully behind him.

It was Ramsey’s first Premier League goal in nearly 16 months, during which time he has been sidelined on several occasions due to foot and hamstring issues.

The former England under-21 international has started just 22 matches for Villa since suffering a broken metatarsal at the 2023 European Championships.

But after recovering from the hamstring injury which kept him out for nearly two months earlier this season, he is determined to remind people of his qualities.

He said: “I think before the Euros with the Under-21s (in 2023), I was flying. 

“My numbers were really good and I looked confident. Since then I haven’t reached those levels. On Sunday, that was a glimpse of what is to come.”

Ramsey has been further inspired by the rise of friend Morgan Rogers, who has become a key member of Unai Emery’s team since arriving from Middlesbrough for an initial £8million a year ago this week. 

It is Rogers who has probably now overtaken Ramsey as Villa’s brightest young prospect and the latter said: “If you compare our careers so far, he had a difficult time but has been flying in the last 12 months. There’s no doubt about that. 

“He is a top player. If you compare it, my last 12 months, I’ve gone a bit downhill. Me and Morgan are really close friends and I see the work he does. He is a confident lad and he is flying.

“It was good to get that feeling (of scoring) again because I haven’t scored at Villa Park for a while. In the past 12 months I have had three or four big injuries. 

“I hope I can keep my numbers up because after a big injury it can take three or four games to get back in your rhythm and routine.”

Next week will mark five years since Ramsey scored his first professional goals while on loan at Doncaster in League One. 

Reflecting on that during Tuesday’s pre-match press conference, he said: “Fast forward five years I am playing in the Champions League. 

“It shows how fast football can change and how quickly your life can change. Hopefully tomorrow brings a good moment like five years ago. 

“Although I am still 23, I am still young in football, but I have played lots of games. I know how it works, one minute you’re 10/10, the next you’re 3/10. For me, what I can take from five years ago is to be humble because football can change so quickly.”

Ramsey scored in September’s 3-0 win over Young Boys but was then forced off just 27 minutes into the 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich.

The academy product admits Champions League nights at Villa Park are still something of a “pinch me” moment but has no desire to soak too much in the occasion, as Emery’s team hunt a place in the last-16.

Beating Celtic would almost certainly be sufficient to secure a top-eight finish but England v Scotland clashes are rarely straightforward and Ramsey has warned against Villa getting carried away by the atmosphere.

“We like to control with good possession. Celtic will try and make an impression,” he said. “They’ve already qualified (for the play-offs) but England vs Scotland, it’s going to be a really intense and physical game. We don’t want it to be a basketball game.

“Personally, I’ve come from the academy, signing for Villa at eight years old to now playing in the Champions League as a 23-year-old at Villa Park, my family and friends will be at the stadium so when the music comes on I will be looking up to my friends and family. 

“It’s a pinch me moment really, but after that it’s full focus on the game.

“We need three points for automatic qualification (through to the last-16). It will be a tough match, I’m sure it will be a great atmosphere and a good game.”