Aston Villa journalist Ashley Preece has called for Steven Gerrard to rest Jacob Ramsey and instead start Morgan Sanson against West Ham United on Sunday. 

The lowdown

Ramsey has started all but one Premier League game since Gerrard took over in November.

He played the full 90 minutes as Villa beat Leeds United 3-0 on Thursday night.

Sanson, on the other hand, has largely been limited to substitute appearances under the 41-year-old.

The Frenchman has started twice (most recently against Manchester United in mid-January) and come off the bench on seven occasions.

The latest

Preece stresses that Ramsey has been 'incredible' this season but thinks he could benefit from 'a reset'.

He feels the Englishman has lacked 'cutting edge' in recent performances.

Sanson, meanwhile, 'did well' when he came off the bench against Leeds and consequently deserves a start, he says

The verdict

How did the pair perform at Elland Road?

Well, Ramsey earned a solid SofaScore rating of 7.0/10, winning eight out of 15 duels, completing three out of four dribbles, creating two chances and making three tackles. It was a solid all-round display.

But Sanson's statistics, albeit during a 20-minute cameo, were also impressive: 100% passing accuracy (10/10) and 80% duel success (four out of five).

He deserves credit for playing himself back into starting contention given that he didn't play a minute of Premier League football this season until December.

In other news, Villa are set for a fresh windfall.