Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has hailed the impact of the club's academy this season.
Jacob Ramsey has made 10 Premier League appearances this season and is pushing to be involved in tomorrow's match at Leeds.
The 19-year-old midfielder recently signed a new contract through to 2025 and boss Smith said: "JJ's been getting better and better. He's earned his new contract.
"We were just looking at him in training and said just how much he's improved in a 12-month period where I'm not afraid to start him in a Premier League game now or make him my first substitute against Arsenal or Chelsea away.
“That just shows that we've got a thriving academy again and that's something that's really pleasing."
Owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have spent heavily on improving the club's academy since their 2018 takeover.
Another youngster, 18-year-old full-back Kaine Kesler, is likely to be on the bench at Elland Road. Highly-rated 17-year-old midfielder Carney Chukewuemeka, meanwhile, was named in a Premier League squad for the first time in last week's 2-1 defeat to Leicester.
Smith continued: "JJ has just signed a new contract and we've seen what most of our under-18s and under-23s did against Liverpool in the FA Cup.
"But we've invested into the academy and we believe we want to become a real top academy throughout the country, where people want to come and can see a pathway for themselves."
