Aston Villa progressed to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, winning their second-leg tie against Club Brugge 3-0 at Villa Park, making it 6-1 on aggregate.
Unai Emery’s side were brilliant once again, keeping 53% possession in the match, taking 14 shots, creating four big chances and generating a very healthy total of 2.45 xG to the Belgian side's 0.12 from just four shots in the game.
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So, it was a pretty complete performance, but the Villans will now take on PSG, who beat Premier League leaders Liverpool in the round of 16, where Marco Asensio will have the chance to show his parent club what they are missing.
Marco Asensio's red-hot form at Villa
Aston Villa confirmed the loan signing of Asensio from PSG at the beginning of February and the 29-year-old star has hit the ground running, making eight appearances for Emery's side and already scoring seven goals in his 383 minutes played so far.
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The Spaniard has netted twice in the Premier League, both of those goals coming in a 2-1 victory against Chelsea, but has been even more vital in the Champions League, scoring three goals in his two UCL appearances for the Midlands side.
Asensio only played 45 minutes against Club Brugge in their 3-0 victory at Villa Park, managing 36 touches, taking three shots - all of which were on target - scoring twice and hitting the woodwork once.
But as good as Asensio has been since swapping Paris for Birmingham, Emery hasn't forgotten about his left-sided alternative.
Aston Villa's "wonderful" Asensio alternative
Jacob Ramsey came through the Aston Villa academy system, making 66 appearances for the U18 and U21 sides, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists.
In 2020, the English midfielder began to make his claim at senior level, being given his first start in the EFL Cup against Burton Albion, followed by a Premier League debut just 13 days later, coming from the bench in a 3-0 victory over Fulham.
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Since then, Ramsey has made 155 appearances for the club, scoring 16 goals and providing 17 assists. It's safe to say he's following in the footsteps of a certain Jack Grealish, but like Villa's most famous academy starlet, will he be sold for big money? Quite possibly.
Emery is clearly a fan of the 23-year-old and in March 2025, he is now valued at around £27m by Transfermarkt. To put that number into context, he's worth even more than the in-form Asensio who is rated at £17m. So, how do they compare from a statistical point of view?
Ramsey vs Asensio in 24/25
Stats (per 90 mins)
Goals
Assists
xG
xAG
Progressive Carries
Progressive Passes
Shots Total
Key Passes
Shot-Creating Actions
Successful Take-Ons
Ball Recoveries
Stats taken from FBref
Much like Asensio, Ramsey is more of a central attacking midfielder, who can play off the wing, which is a dynamic Emery has been using in order to play with two players in the pockets, having one of his wingers drift inside and join Morgan Rogers as dual number tens.
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You can see how both players thrive in this role, having the freedom to drift inside and combine with their teammates, providing creativity in different ways, with Ramsey being a good large distance carrier (shown by his progressive carry numbers) and Asensio being a very clever passer, who has the technique to pull it off.
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Alan McInally praised Ramsey back in 2022 as a "wonderful" footballer, claiming the Villa youngster will play for England, stating "I don't think there's any doubt." So, with Thomas Tuchel's first England squad selection fast approaching, it will be interesting to see if the 23-year-old comes into the German coach's thought process.
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