Aston Villa have enjoyed a solid start to their 2023/24 season as Unai Emery looks to carry the momentum from the end of the previous campaign into this one.
Despite an opening day defeat to Newcastle United, Villa have won their previous four matches, scoring 15 goals and conceding just one as they look in ominous form.
Having enjoyed a solid transfer window too, luring talent such as Moussa Diaby and Pau Torres to Villa Park, the Spaniard will be hoping the next step for the club is claiming a major trophy of some sort.
They will have to do it without diminutive Argentinian Emiliano Buendia, however, as he will miss around eight months of the season due to injury.
What happened to Emiliano Buendia?
The attacking midfielder suffered a serious knee injury in training prior to Villa’s first game against Newcastle, and it looks set to rule him out for the vast majority of the campaign.
Emery confirmed this, saying: "It's a six, seven, or eight-month injury.” And his presence will be missed.
The 26-year-old was impressive in pre-season for the Midlands side while coming off the back of a campaign in which he played all 38 Premier League matches, scoring five goals and grabbing two assists.
He looked set to be a key part of the side which was embarking on a European journey and Emery may have to turn to someone else in the team to replace him – Jacob Ramsey.
When will Jacob Ramsey return from injury?
The Englishman made his Villa debut during the 2018/19 season as the club were promoted back to the Premier League and has since emerged as one of their finest youth graduates, becoming a key part of the senior squad.
Ramsey has missed just seven matches across the previous two league campaigns and has showcased his talents by registering 20 goal contributions in that time – 12 goals and eight assists – and there is no reason why he can't fill the void left by Buendia.
The £70k-per-week gem has missed the start of the season having suffered a broken metatarsal during an England U21 game in July, yet he should hopefully be back following the international break.
What are Jacob Ramsey's strengths?
Despite Villa signing Italian Nicolo Zaniolo, Ramsey could outshine the former AS Roma starlet, especially judging by their statistics from last season.
Indeed, Ramsey registered more goals and assists (13 v six), had a higher pass success rate (81.9% v 63.8%), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.76 v 2.73) and won more tackles (38 v eight) than Zaniolo, suggesting that he offered more across a wide range of metrics.
That’s not to say that Emery couldn’t utilise the pair in the same system, but Ramsey proved last season that he has finally taken that next step of performing on a consistent basis in one of the finest leagues on the continent.
Previously said to be “top-class in the future” by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, perhaps the future is now and Emery need not worry about Buendia’s injury when he has a young talent already building towards his peak years.