The Aston Villa limelight has been taken up by some quality midfielders over the years.
Gareth Barry and James Milner stepped into it and went on to win Premier League titles elsewhere. Jack Grealish, now England’s most expensive player, looks set to do the same with Manchester City this season.
The newest name looked set to be Philippe Coutinho but now there’s a new kid on the block. Jacob Ramsey may be raw to the bright lights of Villa Park but there’s now every belief that the 20-year-old can follow the likes of Milner, Barry and Grealish as England internationals.
Jacob Ramsey is on the verge of an England call-up after three goals in three for Aston Villa
The 20-year-old midfielder (right) scored twice in Wednesday night’s 3-3 draw with Leeds
When it comes to talk of a Three Lions call-up, Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard – one of England’s greatest ever midfielders – did little to keep that conversation grounded after Ramsey netted a brace against Leeds in Wednesday’s 3-3 draw at Villa Park.
‘I know the level of the England players,’ Gerrard claimed after the game. ‘I’ve been around it, and have enough experience to know it’s only a matter of time but let’s all be sensible and keep calm about it.
‘I want him to make his own headlines with his football. He is a top talent, I’m loving every moment of working with him. He is getting stronger with each game because we’re giving him the platform to express himself. He is in a wonderful place.’
Getting stronger has been a mantra in the young midfielder’s blossoming career in football. After all, those who watched Ramsey grow through the academy had concerns about his size.
Ramsey (right) is working under the stewardship of former England star Steven Gerrard (left)
In his own words, Ramsey was a ‘late developer’ and only reached the strength levels everyone sees now in his late teens. Behind his physical growth was his father Mark – a former professional boxer who once held the ABA title and fought Ricky Hatton twice.
Trips to the Small Heath Boxing club with his father, just three miles down the round from Villa Park, were commonplace for Ramsey and his two football brothers Aaron and Cole – who are also part of the Midlands club’s academy.
‘Dad was always big on us staying fit and boxing is what he knows, so every summer he’d take us to the gym to train,’ Ramsey told the Express and Star last month.
‘Everyone knows how tough it is. There is no better training for getting your body into shape and coming up through the academy it definitely helped me.
Ramsey was ‘slim and skinny’ in his teens and needed boxing sessions with his dad to bulk up
‘I was a late developer. It wasn’t until I was 16 I really started to grow and before then I was small and slim. Boxing toughened me up and helped me make the step up each year at a time when a lot of the other players were bigger than me.’
That fighting spirit has come in handy for Ramsey as he has muscled his way into Villa’s team despite the intense competition for places at the Midlands club.
Ramsey featured 22 times in the Premier League for Villa last season even though Grealish had the leading role at the club. The England international’s £100million exit to Manchester City led to the likes of Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey arriving for a combined total of £70m – but Ramsey has still kept his place.
The most impressive reaction Ramsey has shown was when Coutinho arrived on loan from Barcelona last month. Villa Park was roaring for the Brazilian’s debut against Manchester United, but Ramsey scored and then expertly assisted the new recruit to overshadow the grand opening of the Coutinho Show.
Ramsey stole Philippe Coutinho’s debut limelight in Villa’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United
Ramsey (left) is combining brilliantly with Coutinho (right) in Gerrard’s set-up at Villa Park
Now Coutinho and Ramsey are combining on a more regular basis in claret and blue – Premier League defences are struggling to deal with them.
‘He’s a top player,’ Coutinho told Sky Sports regarding Ramsey this week. ‘He’s very young, and he’s playing really well. I really enjoy playing with him and with all my team-mates. If I can help him, I will try to do my best. For sure, he has a great future.
‘We didn’t speak too much yet. I just arrived here, my English has to improve, but on the pitch, I’m trying to connect with all my team-mates, and I hope I can help my team here.
‘In the last game, we will feel like we could’ve won at the end, but I think the team played well. We gave everything, we enjoyed the game so we want to give the best for our fans and, of course we work hard for that.’
Against Leeds on Wednesday night, Ramsey’s first goal saw him run clear from Coutinho’s defence-splitting pass before finishing expertly high into the net. The move was heavily reminiscent of Gerrard’s link-up with Fernando Torres at Liverpool at the height of Rafa Benitez’s Anfield reign.
Comparisons between Ramsey and Gerrard are easy to make – given the former is a marauding midfielder playing and starring for his boyhood club – and the Aston Villa boss is fully aware of that.
Ramsey also scored a goal of the season contender at Norwich via a superb solo effort
The 20-year-old scored a similar goal to the Leeds strike against Norwich before Christmas, which prompted Gerrard to say that Ramsey is much more developed than he was aged 20.
Gerrard is clearly giving Ramsey the platform to become his own name – and not a prodigy of a former great – meaning he can even strive to greater things than the former Liverpool captain achieved.
‘He’s not following in anyone’s footsteps,’ Gerrard insisted on Wednesday night. ‘Jacob Ramsey is Jacob Ramsey. He will be a terrific player. It won’t be long before the whole country is watching him I’m sure. He is right up there, let me tell you.’
Perhaps the word ‘country’ may turn into ‘world’ by the end of 2022. The World Cup in Qatar is approaching and Ramsey will surely be one of the names on the England plane should he keep this form up.
It will be no easy journey given the competition for places in Gareth Southgate’s team, but Ramsey is no stranger to battling for midfield spots and is on the radar. There is no need for the 20-year-old to start pulling any punches.