It can sometimes take being overlooked to see a player reach another level. Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey has every right to be peeved at the moment. Not looking to disrespect any of the names included on the latest England call-up list, but the Villan has a strong case that he should have been in the World Cup qualifier preparations.
While that decision has been made for now, a lot can happen from now until the 2026 World Cup. Even with the upcoming fixtures against Andorra and Senegal, injuries can happen, and Ramsey could still see himself involved with the Three Lions squad in June.
Setting that aspect aside, Ramsey, as well as the rest of his Villa teammates, will first need to put on a strong showing against Manchester United. This is where the latest history could give a positive sign for the 23-year-old.
As shared by Aston Villa Statto on X, Ramsey currently has the second-most goal involvements against United since 1992. He is only behind Gabriel Agbonlahor in that regard. With two goals and two assists against Sunday's opponents, he could be one of the keys to ensuring that AVFC earns three points on the day.
Particularly against a Ruben Amorim side that is highly mistake-prone, if Ramsey enters the fray, it could be an excellent matchup for him to further showcase his abilities and find success against a club that he has done well against in the past.
The stat was that of total goal involvements. This means that an assist would do just fine. Someone for Ramsey to potentially look to set up would be Ollie Watkins.
Opportunity for individual Aston Villa players
While Ramsey has done well against United, Watkins has only earned one assist in the EPL when facing Man Utd. The striker has also failed to score in these fixtures.
In a match that has a lot at stake, and seemingly provides a chance for both players to cement their end to this season's campaign. A Ramsey assist to Watkins or vice versa wouldn't be one of the better ways for Villa to leave the current year.