Jacob Ramsey is targeting a strong second half of the season, both personally and collectively, at Aston Villa.
The 21-year-old recently returned to the fold after an injury saw him miss three Premier League games, making his top-flight comeback in the 2-1 victory against Leeds United last time out.
Having registered two goals and two assists in the league thus far, Ramsey is keen to contribute more as Villa begin the second half of their campaign this weekend.
“I set targets before the start of the season and I’ve still got 19 games to go in the league, so there’s a lot to play for and enough time for me to hit those targets," he said.
“The injury set me back four or five weeks, but it came at a decent time with the winter break, which meant I only missed three games.
“Since the boss has taken over we’ve played some big games; we had the away win against Spurs. Now the boss has said don’t get too comfortable. We’ve still got teams above us that we want to try and overtake."
Jacob Ramsey
“Watching from the stands – I prefer to be playing, so I’m happy to be back, and getting the three points (v Leeds) was a bonus.”
Unai Emery has masterminded four wins from his first six league matches and the Spaniard has Ramsey and the rest of the squad looking up the table.
The midfielder said: “Since the boss has taken over we’ve played some big games; we had the away win against Spurs.
“Now the boss has said don’t get too comfortable. We’ve still got teams above us that we want to try and overtake.
“We’ve got some big games coming up and we’re looking forward to it.”
The next opponent standing in Villa’s way is Southampton, who are currently bottom of the league but sit only one point away from climbing out of the relegation zone.
Saints have won their last three matches in all competitions and offer a threat that Ramsey is wary of.
“Every game in the Premier League is always tough, no matter if they’re top of the league or bottom of the table,” he said.
“Southampton have won their last three games and they beat Manchester City in the cup.
“We go there knowing it’s going to be a really tough game. They’re fighting against relegation, so they’re going to be playing this game like a final.
“We’ve got to be up for it, and we will be.”
