Unai Emery admits new Aston Villa injury worry after Everton stalemate

Unai Emery has revealed Jacob Ramsey's exclusion from Aston Villa's 0-0 stalemate at Everton was due to a hamstring injury sustained in training on Saturday.

Fans were concerned pre-match as the midfielder wasn't included in the matchday squad whatsoever. It's now been confirmed Ramsey didn't travel to Goodison Park as a precautionary measure, with further analysis to be undertaken in the coming days.

"At the end of the session yesterday he was not feeling very good, some pain in his hamstring," Emery said during Sunday's post-match press conference. "We didn't take a risk on him. We will take a test on him. If he has an injury, we hope it's not a lot," Emery explained.

The good news is Villa now have 12 days before their next fixture, away at Chelsea in the FA Cup third round replay. Emery has admitted his players will have a short break, with several days away from training to refresh.

Now 21 matches into the 2023/24 Premier League campaign and with the advanced stages of the UEFA Europa Conference League to prepare for, the brief rest will be welcomed by Emery and his men. It gives the likes of Ramsey, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne time to recover from their respective injuries, too.