Two Aston Villa players played for England on Friday evening as they defeated Albania in what was Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge of the Three Lions
Ezri Konsa started in the heart of the defence alongside Newcastle United’s man of the moment, Dan Burn, and they kept a clean sheet.
Morgan Rogers came off the bench to replace Curtis Jones with 15 minutes left to play, although the 22-year-old didn’t have time to create anything meaningful.
It was Konsa who was one of the stars of the show.
Ezri Konsa's game in numbers vs Albania
The defender was in no mood to allow Albania a chance of scoring, as he won six of his seven total contested duels while completing 94% of his passes and taking 125 touches during the game.
It was an impressive performance, to say the least, one that Tuchel will be happy with, not least due to the former Brentford man's crucial, last-ditch challenge in the second half.
Kane-Rico-Lewis-Angel-Gomes-Anthony-Gordon-Saka-Konsa-Pickford-Grealish
This could mean the Villa star will be given another start on Monday evening against Latvia as he looks to become one of the defenders Tuchel trusts.
His displays for the Midlands side have also been sublime this term and this has seen his market value rise steadily.
Indeed, according to Football Transfers, Konsa is now worth €44.3m (£37m) and this could increase even further.
Ezri Konsa's statistics vs Albania
Touches
Pass success rate
Tackles
Total duels (won)
Possession lost
Long balls (accurate)
Via Sofascore
One player in the current Villa squad who will be doing all he can to prove to Tuchel that he deserves a place in the England squad is Jacob Ramsey. The midfielder is even worth more than Konsa at the time of writing.
Aston Villa's next England star
Ramsey has made 16 appearances for the England U21 side during his career so far, scoring four goals in the process, but he hasn’t made the leap to senior level yet.
Could that change under Tuchel? This season, the academy graduate has played 34 times, scoring three goals and chipping in with five assists.
Jacob-Ramsey
The 23-year-old has particularly impressed in the Champions League. indeed when compared to his positional peers in the competition,
Ramsey ranks in the top 1% for pass completion percentage (90.9%) while ranking in the top 6% for assists (0.57) and in the top 5% for shots on target percentage (66.7%) this season.
Lauded as a “special talent” by writer Sam Tabuteau in 2022, Ramsey is now finally showcasing the quality that made him one of the brightest youngsters in the Premier League a few seasons ago.
As such, his market value has also increased. According to Football Transfers, the Englishman is now worth €45.5m (£37.5m), which means he is worth even more than Konsa currently.
Should Ramsey continue this excellent run of form, he might well find himself part of the next England squad under the enigmatic German.
Market Movers
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
If so, he must take his chance as Konsa did against Albania, giving himself the best possible chance of making the squad for the 2026 World Cup in just over a year.
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